Waste Disposal in a Prepper World

One thing I am not sure people consider is how they are going to deal with their trash if society comes crashing down on us. How many of you are use to just wheeling your trash out the curb and someone coming along to take it. It is time that we begin coming up with a plan for waste disposal in a prepper world.

This issue is mentioned by Robert Richardson over at offgridsurvival.

Options for Waste Disposal

As I mentioned before you will not be able to simply put your trash and refuse on the curb for someone to come and pick up for you. Maybe you take it to a near by recycling or waste facility. Both of those will likely no longer exist. So it becomes necessary for us to handle the disposal. The first way would be to just toss it out away from your area of operations. However, this is not an acceptable alternative.

The next option that comes to mind would be to bury it. However, depending on the amount and types of trash you have this may not be a valid choice either. For instance many Prepper foods come prepackaged in plastics and Mylar that would take ages to decompose and could contaminate your food/water sources.

The final alternative that comes readily to mind is to burn it. Now I understand that a lot of people will have a problem with this method due to the release of chemicals etc. However, if you get the fire hot enough it eliminates many of these chemicals.

Proof of that comes from the military using incinerators to destroy chemical weapons left over from previous wars. By choosing to burn your wastes you are reducing the impact you will have long term on the environment.

Also keep in mind that as your current stock piles dwindle and you move to more sustainable foods the wastes you produce will decrease as well. You will begin to have less of a need to burn items as time goes by.

Other considerations for Waste Disposal in a Prepper world

You need to consider how you are going to store your waste as well. Even if you have a large stockpile, I am guessing that trash bags are not high on your lists of necessary items. Make sure that you consider a trashcan that is easily cleaned and includes a top. If your going to be storing the trash outside for extended periods of time, you want a dedicated area away from your main living area and secured in a method that prevents animals from getting into it.

Don’t let the trash take over your homestead.

Make sure you take the tips mentioned here into account and come up with a plan for waste disposal in a Prepper World.

While here make sure to check out my other articles such as Prepper Food Storage Lists, and How to get Started in Hydroponics.