We are trying to decide which way to handle the litter problem the best at our parks.

Visit Ames, IA sometime where we have two courses, one PIPO and one w/ barrels at each tee. We are constantly battling litter at the PIPO course while there is very little that doesn't make it to the barrels at the other course.

We've got trash cans at 9 holes on the course. Mostly people use them, but we still get "Drive-By" litterers and players leaving trash on the course because they "forget" it. Our Parks Dept. is good about keeping the area clean.

With trash barrels every two or three holes, players may be more likely to carry something they find on the course to the next trash can.


There will be things still thrown on the course because some people can not be bothered with finding a trash can, even when they are standing beside one.

we get alot of college kids out on our course playing beer biatch so we have a bad trash problem and we have trash cans every 3 holes. no matter what some people will litter

: ) :

we get alot of college kids out on our course playing beer biatch so we have a bad trash problem and we have trash cans every 3 holes. no matter what some people will litter

: ) :



We have multiple trash cans on every hole and 3 recycling bins on the course. There will always be litter next to an empty trash can, there will always be aluminum next to the recycling bin's . A good majority of the population could care less about this little place we call " earth " . I hate those people .

I, too, hate those people. The best solution I've seen is encouraging a homeless population on the course. In states where there are deposits on glass and aluminum, I've rarely seen that kind of litter. It creates a sort of micro economy... sort of like the guy at the Berkeley, CA course (Arturo) who makes a living fishing discs out of the Marina and returning them to people or selling them if no one claims them. He is one of the friendliest people you could meet on a disc golf course, and he has saved a lot of people a lot of money on replacing lost plastic. I think local clubs could do well to encourage these micro economies. Wow... sorry for the drift.

I think most of the golfers who litter are not those involved with tourneys or the PDGA.

To me, it's a home training problem. The best we can do is to teach the next generation to clean up after themselves. As has been said above, there will be some littering even if you have trash cans on every hole.

Setting out trash barrels promotes trash...so, pack in / pack out is the way to go

Like Mike said..."it's a home training problem".

Setting out trash barrels promotes trash...so, pack in / pack out is the way to go

Like Mike said..."it's a home training problem".


Having no trash barrels promotes piles of trash near tees and bottles chucked back into the woods. Pack in/pack out worked well at the Gran Canyon because it was a very special piece of property that everyone drove at least 45 minutes to go play and they respected the property owner. Courses like that, however, are the exception to the rule.

Setting out trash barrels promotes trash...so, pack in / pack out is the way to go

Like Mike said..."it's a home training problem".


Having no trash barrels promotes piles of trash near tees and bottles chucked back into the woods. Pack in/pack out worked well at the Gran Canyon because it was a very special piece of property that everyone drove at least 45 minutes to go play and they respected the property owner. Courses like that, however, are the exception to the rule.



It would almost seem as though people who don't litter are the exception to the rule. :confused:

It�s just my experience that since we�ve lessened the amount of trash barrels on our course, we decreased the amount of trash we were hauling out�of course there are a few individuals that will still litter�they did this even when the trash cans were there.

Don't do it! Unless you are prepared to become a garbage hauler that is. So long as there is at least one place where folks can discard garbage and recyclables that should be good enough.

Don't do it! Unless you are prepared to become a garbage hauler that is. So long as there is at least one place where folks can discard garbage and recyclables that should be good enough.



This is a prime example of how courses are sold to parks without having their costs truly disclosed.

I'll admit that in a few cases PI/PO works, but in the majority it creates semi-organized piles near baskets and tees plus litter strewn into the woods.

In most cases it's a choice between having barrels that have their contents hauled out on a regular basis or regular nastiness that is cleaned up a couple times a year.

When pitching a course to a parks departments it's vital to include at least one garbage barrel per hole AND the resources to haul the trash out on a regular basis. Touch all the bases the first time around, budget for the barrels and labor, get trash hauling printed on the park to-do list and you've created a realistic system that will work on day 1 and day 3000.

Not so fast Denny. Do you make the assumption that all DG courses are in green grass parks? The cost of a bear safe garbage can in my course is about $ 2,000 per. Also, how exactly are you privvy to how we sold our course to our Parks department and any deficiencies therein? Please don't generalize about proposals to Parks Departments unless you have first hand knowledge of each one.
PIPO works on Kamloops courses in passive park space, especially with steady traffic and signage. First time offenders are reminded kindly once, the second time not so nice. It works for us.

Please don't generalize about proposals to Parks Departments unless you have first hand knowledge of each one.


If I had first hand knowledge of each one then it wouldn't be a generalization. ;)

Maybe I jumped the gun a bit. I admit I haven't been to most of the disc golf courses in existence, but I have seen many examples of folks that utilized the strategy of low-ball pitching a course in order to "just get it in and we'll add the other stuff later", but the other stuff (signs, trash cans, tee pads, alternate sleeves) never gets in.