On Watch | Round and round
Oct 14 2011 in On Watch by Marty McOmber
I certainly don’t consider myself a rabid environmentalist, but I do very much care about reducing my impact on the planet. And that is especially the case when it comes to preserving and improving the quality of the Northwest waters where we spend our time boating.
One thing that dawned on us during our summer of living aboard our boat was just how green the lifestyle is. I would wake in the morning and happily see our solar panels already filling up the battery bank. I kept careful track of our water usage and found we probably used less in a week than most people do watering their lawn in the morning. We also try to make use of those sails whenever possible to get us from one place to the next. And did I mention that we use a composing head?
But there was one area where we were our green creds were difficult to live up to — recycling.
Recycling is practically a religion in Seattle, as many of you know. The city has done a lot over the years to make it as easy as possible — to the point where the recycling container is three times as large as our trash container at home.
But on the boat, things are different.
Don’t get me wrong. We love our 1989 Island Packet 38. But the designer didn’t give a whole lot of thought to making an effective space for trash, much less anything for recycling. And from what I can tell, we aren’t the only boat with that problem.
So what’s a conscientious boat owner to do with those empty beer bottles, chili cans, egg cartons and cardboard boxes?
Ideally, of course, it would make the most sense to try and dispose of the packaging as soon — or even before — products come aboard. So, for example, the coffee beans go right into a plastic air-tight container. But you know, that doesn’t work so well with the six-pack of Alaskan Amber.
I’m a believer that everything should have a dedicated space aboard a boat. But we seriously couldn’t find any place to keep an adequately sized recycling container. I’ve seen a few clever solutions – including one couple who keep a large plastic bin in their bilge and simply lift the floorboard and toss in their recycling until it’s full.
But no such solution presented itself to us. Finally, Deborah just started keeping a paper bag in our guest stateroom and we made do with that effective, but inelegant solution.
This winter, I hope to renovate parts of our galley to make better use of space below the sink. We plan to add some much-needed drawers and pots and pan storage that makes sense. As part of that project, I would also like to create a system to better deal with trash and recycling.
But before we get to the planning stage, it seemed like a good idea to find out what other Three Sheets Northwest readers have done to deal with onboard recycling. Is there a magic approach that we haven’t discovered yet? Do you recycle at all aboard?
Tell us about your recycling solutions in the comments section below.
Mary Clem said on October 14, 2011
A topic near and dear to me; we manage onboard with one of those collapsable vinyl boxes, about 12″ square, that you can get at the Container Store, or Storables.It sits under the chart table, and gets emptied often. My beef is with the garbage company here in Everett, which still requires that we separate the recyclables. That wasn’t necessary in Bellevue, and I know that any effort required will discourage people from recycling, a fact readily apparent here at the marina where trash overflows, much of it recyclable. Would that marinas everywhere would get in the groove.
Paul said on October 14, 2011
We bought a fancy (the thing cost $50!) small metal compost bin from Amazon for compost, but when we started using it we found that it would open so easy, even if it got bumped just a little. Obviously while sailing we’d have problems. So we sent it back.
For now, we get paper bags from the grocer when we shop and have them in the space next to the galley sink. When they fill we take them to the marina bin (also, we have a kitty on watch, supposedly, at all times so this method doesn’t, or hasn’t yet, attracted pests). We’re on the look out for a future bin…
-Paul & Amber
Laurie MacBride said on October 14, 2011
I’m excited to hear you have a composting toilet aboard a boat smaller than a megayacht. What type of toilet and where can we find one? I’d love to replace ours with this – and it would free up the space that the holding tank takes (think of all the recycling that could fit there!).
Jason said on October 14, 2011
When we went around Vancouver Island, we learned that Vancouver Island past Port Hardy and on the west coast has zero recycling facilities. At least any that we could find. We ended up carrying a garbage bag up in the anchor locker for the full month we went without recycling until we got back to Sidney.
Bill Ray said on October 14, 2011
We found that in the islands, Broughtons and beyond any trash disposal may not be available, so our sedan cockpit accumulated bags between trash stops. The recycle often got mixed back in. Also in some places the split will be different where they have a burn barrel. Just info for planning your redesign since the increasing availability of web access in the boonies might make longer trips possible for the threesheets staff.
Larry H said on October 14, 2011
As mentioned, there are limited garbage disposal/recycling facilities north of Port Hardy or on the West coast Vancouver Island. We store metal cans, glass bottles, and plastic recyclables in a garbage bag in the lazarette until we get to a recycle area. We collect paper and plastic trash in the galley and then store in the lazarette. Food scraps are tossed overboard when away from marinas. If you are traveling in remote areas, it is possible to burn the paper/plastic on the beach at low tide. Never do this in dry or fire hazard areas. Tend the fire until it is out and the tide covers the ash. Traveling away from populated land areas is a real education in trash handling/disposal. As preparation for a trip north, live aboard for a week without using the marina dumpster, except for food scraps. You will quickly learn how to shop and store food to minimize trash.