How to clean up
- 1Scrape first — scrape all food scraps into a trash bag before washing (never onto the ground or into the fire).
- 2Deal with grease — let oil and fat cool, then pour into a lidded jar or can, or wipe the pan with paper towels; seal and pack it out.
- 3Wash up — use the three-pot method (wash, rinse, sanitize).
- 4Strain the dishwater — filter food bits through a strainer or bandana into a sealable bag for trash.
- 5Broadcast the greywater — scatter the strained water over a wide, sunny area 200 ft from water, camp, and trail so it evaporates.
- 6Clean the fire ring — remove any unburned food or trash from the ashes; don't try to burn grease or scraps.
- 7Store and pack out — secure leftover food and pack out all trash, grease, and food particles.
- 8Final sweep — walk the kitchen area for micro-trash and spilled food; leave a clean camp.
When to use it
- The end of every cooked meal and every campout — the cleanup that keeps sites clean and wildlife wild.
- Leave No Trace teaching and the Outdoor Code in practice.
- Bear and animal country especially, where grease and food residue are exactly what draw animals to camp.
Common mistakes & safety
- Grease and food scraps attract animals. Dumping grease or burying scraps trains wildlife (and bears) to raid camps — dangerous for people and animals. Pack it all out.
- Don't pour grease in water or on soil. It pollutes water and soil and doesn't break down — collect and pack it out.
- Don't burn grease or food scraps. They don't fully burn, leave residue and smell that attracts animals, and grease flare-ups are a fire hazard.
- Greywater goes 200 ft from water. Strained, soapy dishwater still pollutes streams — broadcast it well away over a wide area.
- Hot grease burns. Let oil cool before handling or pouring it into a container.
- Leave a clean camp. Uncollected food and trash are both a wildlife hazard and a Leave No Trace failure — do the final sweep.
Going deeper
- Grease is food waste, so it gets packed out. Never buried, never in the fire, attracts animals — grease is that problem concentrated, and the jar or paper-towel method is just how you carry it out.
- Strain, bag, broadcast. Food bits to the trash bag, strained water scattered wide 200 ft from anything, ideally in the sun.
- Repackaging at home is the easiest cleanup. The trash you never bring is the trash you never have to pack out — strip excess packaging before the trip.
Official source
Dispose of waste properly — Scouting America →Leave No Trace Principle 3. Pack out all food, grease, and packaging — never bury food scraps.