Mimbres, NM — The Gila National Forest wants to remind our visitors on proper use of vault toilets. It can be a difficult subject to talk about, but there is an appropriate place for trash vs. appropriate places for body waste products.

The Wilderness Ranger District has noticed an increase in significant amounts of trash being put into the vault toilets, including cans, bottles, diapers and sanitary products. This is a bad idea to use toilets as trash cans. This practices increases the cost of pumping the toilets, makes it more difficult to remove the body waste products; which increases the odor. The trash ends up in the sewage lagoon at the Gila Center which then has to be cleaned up and subsequently increases costs for clean-up.
 
Many of the campgrounds on the Gila National Forest are primitive without trash pick-up. What this means for you as a visitor is you must "Pack It In – Pack It Out."

For information on the Gila National Forest, check out our website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/gila or join the conversation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GilaNForest/ or follow us on Twitter @GilaNForest.