Caches disguised as garbage

[+deranja]

I cant stand it when Cachers camouflage their caches as garbage and toss it on the side of the road or in a bush. There is one cacher in my area who does this, one is a broken set of head phones, another an old highlighter marker and the last one i found was an old moldy squeegee.

The last one i was actually doing some CITO in the area and threw the cache away. I was going back out to GZ a second time to try and find the cache when i realized who the hider was and immediately knew what the cache was. So i had to dig it out of my garbage can and then replace the cache t GZ.

However, i feel like I'm just contributing to road side litter as i replace the "cache" by dropping an old squeegee in the weeds on the side of the road.

And this is not a new cacher.

 

Just venting i guess, does it bother anyone else? How do you deal with it? I was tempted to leave it thrown away.

[+t4e]

now that is one of the reasons i would like to have the option of ignoring a user

 

nobody around here used that method, but i can't see it being an enjoyable experience

[+sbell111]

I cant stand it when Cachers camouflage their caches as garbage and toss it on the side of the road or in a bush. There is one cacher in my area who does this, one is a broken set of head phones, another an old highlighter marker and the last one i found was an old moldy squeegee.

The last one i was actually doing some CITO in the area and threw the cache away. I was going back out to GZ a second time to try and find the cache when i realized who the hider was and immediately knew what the cache was. So i had to dig it out of my garbage can and then replace the cache t GZ.

However, i feel like I'm just contributing to road side litter as i replace the "cache" by dropping an old squeegee in the weeds on the side of the road.

And this is not a new cacher.

 

Just venting i guess, does it bother anyone else? How do you deal with it? I was tempted to leave it thrown away.

Caches camoed as garbage run the risk of getting thrown away.

 

The problem with taking a hard stand on these caches is that just about every cache that I've ever found has been hidden in a container that has been repurposed for geocaching.

[+sbell111]

now that is one of the reasons i would like to have the option of ignoring a user

 

nobody around here used that method, but i can't see it being an enjoyable experience

I've found many caches like those described by the OP. In most cases, the choice of container either enhanced the experience or had no effect on it. Few cache experienced suffered from this type of camo job. I think all of those were of the 'cache in a wet plastic bag' variety.

[+Chrysalides]

Caches camoed as garbage run the risk of getting thrown away.

This.

[Mr.Yuck]

I cant stand it when Cachers camouflage their caches as garbage and toss it on the side of the road or in a bush. There is one cacher in my area who does this, one is a broken set of head phones, another an old highlighter marker and the last one i found was an old moldy squeegee.

The last one i was actually doing some CITO in the area and threw the cache away. I was going back out to GZ a second time to try and find the cache when i realized who the hider was and immediately knew what the cache was. So i had to dig it out of my garbage can and then replace the cache t GZ.

However, i feel like I'm just contributing to road side litter as i replace the "cache" by dropping an old squeegee in the weeds on the side of the road.

And this is not a new cacher.

 

Just venting i guess, does it bother anyone else? How do you deal with it? I was tempted to leave it thrown away.

 

Well, caches disguised as trash are a bad idea becuase of what you said. People can (and have) thrown them out! And of course I feel they are in direct conflict with the Cache in, trash out ethos.

 

Fortunately, only one person ever has done this in my area. I actually DNF'd it when it was new, and when I started to hear through the grapevine what it was, I promptly put it on my ignore list, where it remains today 2 or 3years later! I did once in Canada find a cache disguised as a Tim Horton's Cofffe Cup (In Canada? Go figure ) This was hidden in rocks though, and in a not very trashy area. It was nicely made and hand painted. That one I actually thought was OK.

 

EDIT: Oh yeah, just ignore all this guys caches. Plenty of non-trash caches out there to find. Most of them, actually.

Edited May 16, 2011 by Mr.Yuck

[+StarBrand]

I've seen a few such caches and they never last long. I've made it a policy to not sort through the garbage alongside a road (or anywhere else) looking for a cache - so that kind of solved itself.

 

Trash amongst trash.

[+A & J Tooling]

Not all cachers have the money to purchase nice pretty containers but must use what is at hand. But, if it looks like trash, I'm throwing trash away and not looking to see if it contains a cache.

[+deranja]

Caches camoed as garbage run the risk of getting thrown away.

 

The problem with taking a hard stand on these caches is that just about every cache that I've ever found has been hidden in a container that has been repurposed for geocaching.

 

This true, the hanger in a bush, fake rock or the LP hide can all be argued as littering but i think the difference is most caches are disguised to blend in to the surrounding as to not be muggled and not to blend in as road side trash.

[+geodarts]

I have found a few caches disguised as garbage and placed in trashy areas, which is part of the CITI (cache in trash in) experience that could be interpreted as commentary on how we live -- perhaps placed by someone who has read the Monkey Wrench Gang one too many times.

 

In general I see no reason to add to roadside trash, or the perception that caches are litter. And has been said, some of these caches have disappeared rather quickly when the area has been cleaned up.

 

I can see that caches placed as broken headsets or highlight markers could get rather tedious. However, as a philosophic question, what is the difference between a cache disguised as a rusty tin can and a plastic box left in the same location; or a cache disguised as a cigarette butt and a small plastic tube with a piece of paper wrapped inside; a broken road reflector as opposed to a fake rock? And does a plastic film canister look like a discarded plastic film canister or a cache?

 

There are differences, but perhaps it is situational. Some trashy containers may be just that -- trash. Some may be clever camo containers that have gotten a number of favorite votes. Where and how things are placed can put a container into context.

Edited May 16, 2011 by mulvaney

[Andronicus]

I have a cache hidden inside an old rusty tin can (that I found on site) under a sakatoon bush. It has 2 favoret votes, and always seems to get good found logs.

 

I found a bison tube inside an old shoe. Seemed OK to me.

[+niraD]

I don't recall finding an example of garbage camouflage that bothered me. But I often do CITO while searching, and that has included doing CITO while searching for caches that I eventually DNFed...

[+Trracer]

The difference is I'm a Geocacher and not a garbage man. I don't like this sort of camo containers. A good camo container merge with the nature used local nature materials or imitations.

[+A & J Tooling]

Hiding something that looks like trash in a trash pile isn't camo. It's lazy. Hiding something that looks like trash in the middle of pristine woods and having problems finding it, that is a good camo'ed cache.

 

I pick up any trash between the cache and my car that'll fit in the trunk. If your 'camo'ed' cache dissappears, try looking in my landfill.

[+user13371]

In urban settings especially, I often find caches that are indistinguishable from trash -- even if that wasn't the CO's intent. I'm sure a lot of caches go missing for that reason.

[mresoteric]

I understand repurposing containers as caches. But why would someone use a moldy squeegee?

 

Do people really put caches camoed as trash in dumps?

[+TerraViators]

Thanks for container ideas.

[+sword fern]

I've never ever encountered a cache camoead as garbage, but I have seen quite few of those on YouTube.

 

Groundspeak should make it a rule that it is prohibited to camouflage a cache as garbage. It encourages littering.

[+TerraViators]

I've never ever encountered a cache camoead as garbage, but I have seen quite few of those on YouTube.

 

Groundspeak should make it a rule that it is prohibited to camouflage a cache as garbage. It encourages littering.

Defining garbage is very subjective. I once threw a pair of size 10 men's shoes in the garbage. When the garbage was collected, the man driving the truck seemed to like them, as I watched him try them on and put them in the cab.

[+kunarion]

Defining garbage is very subjective.

I found a plastic coke bottle cache once. It was in an urban area, and under some trees in the middle of what once was a parking lot. The buildings had been bulldozed flat, the asphalt dug up in pieces. If there ever were a place where a piece of disguised trash “fit” a place, this was it. The container itself was designed so you could open it as usual and get the rolled-up log out, yet the bottle contained a sealed section of “cola” which made it tough to notice the log. My first reaction was that this was the big-leagues -- tons of thought, creativity, planning, and site scouting went into that cache. My next reaction was “ouch!” as I impaled my hand between 2 fingers on a wild pear tree thorn branch (a 3-inch thorn), the very first thing I touched. So I bled and searched. I picked up & bagged a couple of cans & bottles before I discovered it was a "garbage" bottle I was searching for.

 

While I don’t want lots of trash as the OP mentioned, dropped everywhere and called a Geocache, there may be one spot where it works, and not be a problem at all. So I also don’t want it banned outright.

Edited May 17, 2011 by kunarion

[+Sol seaker]

The main one that sticks out in my mind when I read this, is the bottle that was like a "vitamin water" bottle. It was thrown down next to a fence along side of a lot of other trash.

It took a long time to find it because I was ignoring all the trash. Someone had left a beading necklace in there and that was finally what did it.

 

That area really had enough trash in it already, so I don't appreciate people throwing down more, even in the name of a game.

 

Legitimate containers are game pieces that are usually hidden out of sight (or camo'd so you wouldn't know it if you were looking right at it).

This "keeping the containers out of sight" is good not only for muggling but for distinguishing it from trash. A good container doesn't ruin the sight of the surroundings.

[+LightHouseSeekers]

A cache trash amongst more trash quickly earns a spot on the ignore list.

 

Did like the lock-n-lock hidden inside a very weathered (20 yrs old)

tin can out in the woods with no other trash around.

[+popokiiti]

Found a cache in a beer can - looked and felt full and then I noticed a line just under the lid. Part of the interior had been filled with foam around the inner container. Clever, but we had just about decided to CITO it until I saw that line.

Also found a couple of ball point pen caches, and a few in tennis balls. My favourite was a type of shoe - containing something that appealed to my sick sense of humour. The latter is hidden away from the milling crowds, and is, I believe, a PM only cache.

[+sword fern]

I've never ever encountered a cache camoead as garbage, but I have seen quite few of those on YouTube.

 

Groundspeak should make it a rule that it is prohibited to camouflage a cache as garbage. It encourages littering.

Defining garbage is very subjective. I once threw a pair of size 10 men's shoes in the garbage. When the garbage was collected, the man driving the truck seemed to like them, as I watched him try them on and put them in the cab.

 

Most commonly used Known terrm for garbage=any kind of litter

[+BlueNacho]

Strangely, I found a garbage one just earlier today. It was a typical hose, with a small nano in one of its ends. I looked at it and threw it to the side, spending another ten minutes before realizing my error.

[+SimbaJamey]

One of my favorite caches ever is a local multi where one of the stages had me stumped for a few hours and took at least 2 visits...the hint was, "Recycle" so I looked for everything within 100' of the stage coordinates that was that recycling blue color. What I eventually found was a pile of old soda cans, one filled with cement with a metal tag sticking out with the coordinates on it.

It. Was. AWESOME!

 

I hid a couple 3 years ago that I made out of the caps (and tops) of coke bottles...I've not gotten a single log that said anything remotely along the lines of this discussion, they tend to be complimentary and/or refer to a fun hunt. 3 years and they're both still there. 1 is in a non-trashy area and is glued to something. The other is in an area that used to be completely overgrown (with thorny plants) and was packed with trash, it has survived several major cleanings by the parking lot owners (SEPTA) and is still there even though this spring they cut down all the trees and bushes and removed all the undergrowth stripping the area down to bare dirt (and cleaned up all the trash)! It was found today "Log Date: 5/17/2011 found it! 3 try. nice hide".

 

[AZcachemeister]

I have (more than once) been tempted to trash a 'junky' container and post a DNF.

Darned ethics keep getting in my way.

[+Doctroid]

I hid a couple 3 years ago that I made out of the caps (and tops) of coke bottles...I've not gotten a single log that said anything remotely along the lines of this discussion, they tend to be complimentary and/or refer to a fun hunt. 3 years and they're both still there. 1 is in a non-trashy area and is glued to something. The other is in an area that used to be completely overgrown (with thorny plants) and was packed with trash, it has survived several major cleanings by the parking lot owners (SEPTA) and is still there even though this spring they cut down all the trees and bushes and removed all the undergrowth stripping the area down to bare dirt (and cleaned up all the trash)! It was found today "Log Date: 5/17/2011 found it! 3 try. nice hide".

I found a cache like that once. It's a little different from some of the others discussed here in that it doesn't really look like trash at second glance, though it might at first. This one also was tucked into a hollow under a cement pad, out of view, so was not unsightly.

[+KristenSh]

Disguised as garbage or not ... if it looks like it's possible to contract a disease while retrieving a cache, it goes on the DNF list. And depending on who's with me and what materials we have on hand, CITO may be in order. There's one in my area, currently disabled, that seems to be hidden in a well-trashed area. It's just plain not safe to search in that particular spot. I have NO idea what the container itself may look like, but I have some very bizarre ideas of what might be occurring after hours in that park... after a couple attempts we finally had to write that one off. I won't even let my kids search in that area, it's that bad. The rest of the park is fine.

 

If the owner would confirm the hide, it'd be a good spot for a group CITO but it's not an area I want to tackle by myself.

[+TL&MinBHIL]

To my recollection, I've only come across one that really fits this description. It was near a big lake, next to a tree where you could pull off the road and enter the hiking trails. It turned out to be a nano centrifuge tube hot glued to the underside of a beer bottle cap. The tube itself was jammed into the ground so all you could see is the bottle cap laying by the base of the tree. We couldn't find it until my g/f just happened to kick it. There's a garbage can at the head of the hiking trail about 50 ft. away, but this is so small, I'm sure most people won't even see it or think about throwing it away. I thought it was clever, but definitely a tad evil.

 

I don't agree with someone making a container from "trash" and throwing it in a pile of trash to hide it, but if you can make a clever container from "trash" and hide it properly, I don't see the harm in it. Like the soda bottle the person described that was made to look like it has soda in it...I think that's quite clever. But a CO who chooses to do this should be well aware of the fact that it might get thrown away.

[+TerraViators]

I have several hides from recycled materials. I usually get positive remarks on the the cretaivity, etc. For the most part a cache disguised as garbage will work simply because most cachers don't CITO. How many times have you been to GZ of a cache that has been found a hundred times but still see years of debris in the area.

[+TerraViators]

I will sometimes take a bucket or a bag and CITO...not really for the sake of cleaning it up (although that is nice) but people are less suspicious if they think you're just a green freak and picking up trash.

[+BaylorGrad]

You know... I never came across this problem until I moved to Arlington, Texas for a summer internship. I have been here 3 days, and have now encountered 3 caches like this. No thank you.

[hiplainsdrifter]

Interesting discussion. I am suprised that so many are making blanket statements that trash camo is inappropriate. It seems like a common sense thing to me- if people will be hurt by the container, or by rummaging through other junk trying to decide what the container is, probably not the greatest idea. However, it seems that there is definite potential to do clever hides like this, especially in locations where the muggle factor is low, and where they aren't an eyesore. I think it is ridiculous to suggest that such caches are somehow lazy or less creative. I would say it depends on the cache. I think a tupperware with pine needles and bark glued to the lid is definitely more lame then some recycled containers. CITO dogmatism would be tempered by the realization that with the exception of virtual caches, ALL caches are littering. Chill guys.

[+A & J Tooling]

You look for inappropriate caches your way, I'll continue to throw trash away my way.

[+TL&MinBHIL]

I think it is ridiculous to suggest that such caches are somehow lazy or less creative.

Unfortunately, the term "lazy" is commonly used here to describe many caching behaviors that others don't approve of. Write a short log, lazy. Hide a micro instead of something bigger, lazy. Use "trash" as a cache container, lazy. If you ask me, it's just one person playing the game their own way, but if it's different, some label it laziness.

[mresoteric]

I think it is ridiculous to suggest that such caches are somehow lazy or less creative.

Unfortunately, the term "lazy" is commonly used here to describe many caching behaviors that others don't approve of. Write a short log, lazy. Hide a micro instead of something bigger, lazy. Use "trash" as a cache container, lazy. If you ask me, it's just one person playing the game their own way, but if it's different, some label it laziness.

 

Sadly this is true. There are a few people that are quick to call other cachers lazy instead of considering that there may be some other reason.

[+sword fern]

I think it is ridiculous to suggest that such caches are somehow lazy or less creative.

Unfortunately, the term "lazy" is commonly used here to describe many caching behaviors that others don't approve of. Write a short log, lazy. Hide a micro instead of something bigger, lazy. Use "trash" as a cache container, lazy. If you ask me, it's just one person playing the game their own way, but if it's different, some label it laziness.

 

I agree with everything except the hide a micro part. Micros can be creative, as I am sure you know. "Lazy," might be considered if a spot for a bigger cache could have been placed at GZ but there was a micro. If that's what you meant, then I will leave it at that.

 

If, however, is not what you meant, then I strongly disagree. Hiding caches is a way to give back to the GC community, and hiding micros is part of that. Other than the circumstance listed above, hiding micros IS NOT lazy. about 99% of the COs have hidden a micro.

[+d+n.s]

I think it is ridiculous to suggest that such caches are somehow lazy or less creative.

Unfortunately, the term "lazy" is commonly used here to describe many caching behaviors that others don't approve of. Write a short log, lazy. Hide a micro instead of something bigger, lazy. Use "trash" as a cache container, lazy. If you ask me, it's just one person playing the game their own way, but if it's different, some label it laziness.

 

I agree with everything except the hide a micro part. Micros can be creative, as I am sure you know. "Lazy," might be considered if a spot for a bigger cache could have been placed at GZ but there was a micro. If that's what you meant, then I will leave it at that.

 

If, however, is not what you meant, then I strongly disagree. Hiding caches is a way to give back to the GC community, and hiding micros is part of that. Other than the circumstance listed above, hiding micros IS NOT lazy. about 99% of the COs have hidden a micro.

TL&MinBHIL is saying that people throw the word "lazy" around (they do.) I don't think they meant to imply it was actually lazy to hide a micro.

[+Don_J]

It seems that two threads now proclaim micro hiders to be lazy.

 

My comments are here.

[+Chrysalides]

It seems that two threads now proclaim micro hiders to be lazy.

 

My comments are here.

Is lazy the new puritan?

[mresoteric]

It seems that two threads now proclaim micro hiders to be lazy.

 

My comments are here.

Is lazy the new puritan?

 

I'd answer that if I weren't so lazy.

[+SimbaJamey]

I'm confused...

How is it lazy to come up with an idea for a good 'trash cache', research, collect and/or buy all the parts needed to build it, put in an hour or two (I've spent as many as ten) building the cache and then go out and find just the right place for it to blend in so that it provides the seeker a little more of a challenge than a LPC or the typical tupperware behind the fallen tree right off the trail with a piece of bark and 2 sticks tossed on top of it?

Lazy?

If we are going to discuss lazy hides we should do it in a different thread...Where the first thing I would bring up is a bizarre new (new to me, I kinda took a couple of years off) trend where the "cache" is simply a sandwich bag with a piece of paper in it stuffed in a tree-hole or under a rock. I've even found caches of this type full of trinkets and trackables. A sandwich bag? Really? (Who would leave a travel bug in a sandwich bag under a rock next to a sidewalk?)

And with over a million caches out there to find...can we get over the, "Location could hold a much larger cache" thing? I bet most of the time that's the case, you are standing in a pretty cool place while you are signing the log..."Thanks for bringing me here" would be a much nicer log to leave for the CO.

 

Like Ani says...32 Flavors and then some.

 

[/rant]

[+user13371]

I have (more than once) been tempted to trash a 'junky' container and post a DNF. Darned ethics keep getting in my way.

I've thought about that -- haven't done it for fear of community backlash. But as a matter of ethics: If you're gonna do it, admit and take respsonsibility for your actions. So instead of fibbing with a DNF, I'd post a Find with this nifty acronym:

 

RIFT

Removed, Indistinguishable From Trash

Edited May 21, 2011 by Portland Cyclist