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Best practices for dealing with human waste in the great outdoors

(theconversation.com)
76 points rntn | 4 comments | 31 Aug 25 19:48 UTC | HN request time: 0.442s | source
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globular-toast ◴[01 Sep 25 06:35 UTC] No.45090063[source]▶
I went on a multi-day boating trip down the Orange River between South Africa and Namibia. They told us very explicitly how and where to defecate. Sufficiently far from the river, and we were to take three things: a spade, toilet paper and a lighter. Dig hole, shit in hole, wipe, burn the toilet paper, fill in the hole.
replies(2): >>45090103 #>>45095681 #
1. bohrbohra ◴[01 Sep 25 06:41 UTC] No.45090103[source]▶
Why burn the toilet paper ?
replies(3): >>45090236 #>>45090247 #>>45090761 #
2. Etheryte ◴[01 Sep 25 07:04 UTC] No.45090236[source]▶
In super dry climates, things don't break down the way you would expect it to elsewhere. It's the same reason why many interesting archeological findings like clothing items often come out of Africa. They've just been sitting there in the desert for thousands of years, it's too dry for anything besides sun damage to happen.
3. actionfromafar ◴[01 Sep 25 07:06 UTC] No.45090247[source]▶
The paper takes more time to degrade into soil. Ashes basically are soil.
4. globular-toast ◴[01 Sep 25 08:34 UTC] No.45090761[source]▶
Apparently even if buried the paper would just sit there until the next flood then they'd find it all caught up in the trees downstream. Burning is a sure way to leave no trace.