All right. I've had my coffee, tea actually, the leaves are in the compost, so now it's time for the
There is no biodegradable exemption or "except when wet" exemption, or any other exemption, to the CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) when it comes to trash in Wilderness.
There is no recycling service, or composting, so it is not OK to leave food scraps, TP, tin cans, orange peels or anything else that might bio or photo degrad over time. I can see the look on the rangers face when you tell them: " but my Cheerio's were wet, so I left them".
We can talk about the reasons why the law doesn't allow for dumping of "organic" material (animals digging it up, un-sightly, it just doesn't belong there etc) but that really isn't the point.
The original poster asked if it was ok to dump coffee grounds (I think?), and by law, it's not. I would think as a responsible forum, we would want those going into the Sierra to respect the laws required for their visit (whether we do or not).
We all decide which rules we are going to break, bend or disregard, and nothing I say is going to change that. But let's at least steer people in the lawful direction and let them figure out what rules they will break on their own.
In the meantime, when an angry bear comes after me with a caffeine headache, I'll know which list members to come after
BTW, does HST have a neighborhood cleanup day? I found a camp (a few years old) out on the end of San Joaquin Ridge that someone left (probably because it was wet). It is biodegrading/composting, but it needs to come out. Any interest?
Yes, my foot feels a little better, thank you....
John