Parks and Wildlife rangers urge bushwalkers to 'clean up their poo'

With ‘bush toileting’ seemingly a common practice throughout many Australian national parks and wilderness areas, bushwalkers are being urged to be more responsible and remove their poo which is causing increasing aesthetic, environmental, and human health problems.

Human waste takes around 12 months to decompose, and longer in cooler temperatures.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service ranger-in-charge at Carnarvon Gorge Lindie Pasma told ABC that she routinely had to clean up unpleasant piles during patrols and maintenance work.

Pasma shared "they are going right beside walking tracks and lookouts, within the creek margins, which is unpleasant for other visitors but can also cause pollution in the creek itself.

"We do receive a lot of complaints from the other tourists who are coming into those campgrounds and are having to dodge some minefields."

While toilet facilities are provided at Carnarvon, hikers on long walks should bring a shovel to bury their waste at least 15cm deep if they got stuck, or bag it and carry it out of the park.

Among the solutions suggested by other wilderness rangers is the poo pot which is actively promoted in Tasmania.

Tasmania Parks and Wildlife wilderness ranger Olivia Hickey recommends the poo pot -basically a non-collapsible container you can carry waste in

With visitor numbers to Tasmania and its remote areas on the rise, Hickey told the ABC "it doesn't take much for anyone to go for a walk anywhere and see the impact of people not doing the right thing when it comes to toileting.

"The poo pots we (rangers) carry can actually fit into the water bottle pocket of your pack, which is great because it's not going inside your pack.”

The walker then transports their poo pot to a toilet, the nearest of which is often a Parks-installed toilet.

Carnarvon Gorge tour guide Michelle Whitehouse said with peak hiking season underway in Queensland, it was a major issue.

Talking to ABC she highlighted "it's not unusual to find piles of toilet paper just centimetres from the main walking track and same with actual waste, soiled underwear - all sorts of different gross encounters have been found at Carnarvon Gorge by myself and rangers.

"One of the first observations that most visitors make when we cross the creek is how beautiful and clear the water is and their first question is, 'Surely this should be safe to drink?'

"When I start explaining how many feral pigs and evidently how many feral humans there are using the national park as well, they have a second thought."

Queensland Parks and Wildlife has also urged people to take all personal hygiene products with them, including nappies and period products.

Image top: A poo pot should be watertight and lightweight.(Supplied: Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service); Image above. Winter is peak hiking season in Queensland. Credit: Queensland Parks and Wildlife)