Chaffee Rec Council provides free bathroom kits for the backcountry
PACT Lite Outdoor bathroom kits make backcountry bathroom practices easier while keeping human waste from polluting waters and public lands
As part of its Keep it Clean outdoor initiative, the Chaffee Recreation Council has joined a statewide initiative to combat the growing problem of human waste and the lack of infrastructure and resources available to address it.
The pandemic prompted thousands more people to hike, bike, and camp in public lands – causing an even bigger problem with human waste, which can pollute water sources and spread diseases. The “Doo” Colorado Right campaign aims to help solve this increasing issue with free PACT Lite Kits — lightweight all-in-one bathroom kits for backcountry adventures.
“The Chaffee Rec Council is supporting multiple ways to Keep It Clean in our beautiful outdoors,” said Kim Marquis, program director for Envision Chaffee County. “We’ve had ongoing discussions about poop and what to do about it; more than a dozen port-a-potties are deployed at popular trailheads, and WAG bags have been handed out by Chaffee Rec Rangers. Now, we are so pleased to offer free PACT Kits and continue the conversation about sustainable bathroom breaks in the outdoors.”
The PACT Lite Kit has everything you need to cleanly “go” outside. It comes with a lightweight shovel for digging a cat-hole 6” deep and 4” across. PACT Wipes are dehydrated and compressed and unfold into a 9” towel with a squirt of water.
The wipes are free of additives found in TP and conventional wet wipes, so they decompose faster and with minimal impact. PACT Tabs use fungal mycelium to decompose poop in the ground faster while killing harmful pathogens. Add the PACT Wipe and three PACT Tabs to the cat-hole. Fill with dirt and let nature do the rest. Watch this video to learn more:
To get your free kit, send an email inquiry to info@envisionchaffeecounty.org.
PACT Kits are useful below timberline where trees grow. They are not appropriate in arid desert environments. Make sure there are no regulations prohibiting burial, and walk 70 paces (200 feet) away from water sources, campsites and trails to dig your cat hole.
The “Doo” Colorado Right initiative lines up with the Colorado Tourism Office’s statewide Do Colorado Right campaign that encourages visitors and locals to behave responsibly in Colorado’s outdoors. Following proper bathroom etiquette when outdoors is also one of the Care for Colorado Leave No Trace principles.
PACT Outdoors is headquartered in Crested Butte. For more information, visit: pactoutdoors.com.
The outdoors in Chaffee County is gorgeous, let’s help keep it that way!