What to do when there’s no loo

We love our parks, and many offer toilets to keep things simple. But when heading out bush or hiking in remote areas, it pays to be organised.

If nature calls, do the right thing

When venturing into remote areas you should always carry a trowel or shovel to dig a deep hole (don’t go leaving your business uncovered). Ensure the hole is at least 30cm deep so there is enough soil on top of what has been deposited. This reduces the chance of animals, attracted by smell, digging up the area.

You can bury your toilet paper, or burn it safely (outside of fire danger season in low fuel load/sparsely vegetated areas or when vegetation is wet), just make sure it is gone. There is nothing worse than spotting toilet confetti on your hike. You can also place toilet paper inside a zip-lock bag and dispose of it when you spot a disposal bin site.

Looking for something a little more efficient?

Enter the ‘poo pot’.

If you regularly visit remote areas, it may be worth investing. A poo pot is a non-collapsible container you can carry waste in. They are small, which means they fit inside the water bottle pocket on the outside of your backpack (it’s the little things).

Without getting into too much detail, you poo into a corn starch bag, squash the air out and pop it into a poo pot. From there, it won’t smell or get squashed as you carry it.

The next time you spot a toilet, empty the bag in (it will quickly break down).

You can also get nifty and built your own pot, just search online ‘how to make a poo pot’.

So, the next time you're exploring the vast, toilet-less expanses of our national parks, remember these tips. Not only will you be doing your bit to keep our parks clean, but you'll also be ensuring that the great outdoors remains enjoyable for everyone.

Wondering which parks offer toilet facilities? Head over to parks.sa.gov.au/find-a-park and select the ‘Filter Parks’ tab, from there you can select ‘Facilities’ followed by ‘Toilet’.