It may be your home on wheels, but unlike houses, campervans & motorhomes have some additional disposal needs. It is not the most glam topic, but all waste has the potential to pollute the environment if you do not handle or store it properly. To help you on your trip, we have provided some guidance on responsible waste disposal.
One of the big benefits of campervanning is the ability to get away from it all. However, once you are in those areas, remember it’s somebody else’s home. Whether it’s animals, plant life, locals in the area, or even other campervanners touring just like you, it’s important to respect the environment. If you are unsure, familiarise yourself with the “leave no trace” principles to keep right.
Perhaps a good general rule while in your motorhome is to treat it like your house. You should separate waste and recyclable material where possible. Make sure to store waste materials safely and securely so litter doesn’t scatter. Campsites should provide recycling areas, or most supermarkets have an area to recycle goods. If there is nowhere to dispose of litter, try to hold on to this until you can find an appropriate place.
All our campervans have a freshwater tank. For practical reasons, it’s important to keep an eye on fresh water supply. You’d be surprised how much water you might use whether for tea, drinking, shower, toilet or any other reason.
When filling up, make sure your water supply is safe to drink. Campsites should have a place signposted where you can fill up.
All Bunk Campers rentals are supplied with a food grade hose and demonstration of how to use this. Reusable water containers are also a good and environmentally friendly way to keep stocked up on the road.
Grey water refers to water that goes down your sink or shower and collects in an on board waste water tank.
It’s a good idea to empty this as much as possible, because left to build up and stand can cause odours to develop. Due to the chemicals that go into this such as washing up liquid, shower gel and toothpaste, you need to be careful about emptying this in the correct place. The best way to keep right, is to only empty at campsite disposal areas. This way, it’ll go into the sewage system for treatment.
If they don’t have an area to empty this, ask the campsite owners as they may use this for hedgerows.
Here are some tips to help avoid odour build ups:
Black water refers to waste water from toilets which will contain harmful bacteria and should only be emptied at the designated areas.
You can find chemical toilet waste or black water waste emptying points at campsites or service points called a Chemical Disposal Point (CDP), Elsan disposal point or Black waste disposal point.
In your motorhome hire, the vehicle should include a cassette toilet which can be removed and wheeled to the disposal point. You can add eco-friendly toilet tabs as a hireable extra to assist with cleaning this.
In a VW campervan hire, you can add a portable toilet to your hire and follow the same rules for emptying this at you would the cassette toilet.
Never dispose of chemical toilet waste into a watercourse, surface drain, the ground or groundwater.
Picking up dog poo may not be pleasant, but it is definitely a necessity. Pet waste is actually bad for the environment and does not act as a fertiliser like other animals. It’s important to clear up after your pet when you are on your campervan hire holiday. Just remember to bag it and bin it!
At Bunk Campers, we are committed to helping create sustainable tourism with our campervan and motorhome hire. We work with several partners and affiliations to bring you the latest advice and keep you right on the road.
Following this page advice will help create a sustainable environment for all campers, campervanners and tourers alike. If you have any questions or would like a quote for the road email our customer service team and we’ll be happy to assist.
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