My group used the system in the conclusion while on an 18-day trip rafting the Grand Canyon. It worked beautifully and is quite simple once you’ve done it.

Because so many people play in the Canyon, you have to pack everything out for impact reasons. This means every tiny scrap of food. The ecosystem is so dry, even the smallest bits will take months or even years to decompose. Not to mention discouraging critters from becoming a nuisance.

Once you’re done cleaning the dishes, strain the water from the first bowl into your disposal destination. From there, pour bowl 2 into bowl 1 for a rinse, then strain it into your disposal. Continue this process on down the line until all three bowls are clean and disinfected… just like your dishes. It may sound complicated, but it’s really not.

Because you strain all water before disposal, food scraps are contained and easily packed out. On the river, we kept all our garbage in large ammo cans (rocket box) lined with a garbage bag or two.