Environmental stuff
Water
All the Island's water is drawn from bore-holes, and most houses have water-tanks to collect precious rainwater. Nobody really knows how much water is stored in the bedrock below St Martins; but we do know that it is a finite resource. Demands on the island's water resources are at their greatest during the holiday season, when the population increases considerably over a three or four month period. You can help by doing simple things like turning the tap off while you clean your teeth and generally being aware and not wasting water.
Rubbish!
Disposing of our waste in a responsible manner is a constant challenge in an island community. The campsite has an open incinerator for burning cardboard and paper waste; please don't burn plastics of any sort. It pollutes our lovely clean air and, depending on the wind direction, can make it unpleasant for those campers pitched nearby.
We have separate bins for cans, bottles/clean glass and food-waste which are emptied daily into containers at a central Island dump. These are subsequently taken down to the quay for transport by boat to St Mary's for recycling.
If you need to dispose of any camping equipment at the end of your stay e.g. broken chairs, old groundsheets, please take them home with you.
No sand down the plug-holes please...... and no biological washing powderWe don't have the luxury of mains sewerage; all the waste water from the facilities goes into a septic tank. Any problems are generally associated with sand - people washing sandy items (feet, clothes, wetsuits) in the sinks or showers results in sand clogging the pipes. Please use the wetsuit dunking barrel or fill a bucket to wash off sandy items outside the facilities and throw the water away on the grass or in the hedge.
Septic tanks work on the basis that the bacteria within them breaks down the waste matter. Biological washing powders destroy the bacteria, so we ask you to please use non-bio detergent for your laundry.
