Choose Your Adventure

Req 8d — Cache In Trash Out Leadership

8d.
Explain what Cache In Trash Out (CITO) means, and describe how you have practiced CITO at public geocaches or at a CITO event. Then, either create CITO containers to leave at public caches, or host a CITO event for your unit or for the public.

CITO stands for Cache In Trash Out. It is one of the clearest examples of geocaching at its best. Instead of only enjoying parks, trails, and public spaces, geocachers also help care for them. That turns a treasure hunt into stewardship.

What CITO means

Cache In Trash Out is a community environmental effort connected to geocaching. It usually includes activities such as trash cleanup, invasive species removal, trail improvement, or similar service work that helps outdoor spaces stay healthy and welcoming.

At its heart, CITO means this: if geocachers benefit from a place, geocachers should help protect that place too.

How you might already practice CITO

You do not have to wait for a major event to start practicing CITO. Many geocachers carry a small bag and remove litter during ordinary cache hunts. That simple habit is already part of the spirit of CITO.

To discuss this well with your counselor, describe a real example. Maybe you packed out trash you found near a cache, removed litter from a trailhead, or joined an organized cleanup day. Explain what you did and why it mattered.

Two ways to complete the second part

The requirement gives you two paths after explaining CITO.

Option 1: Create CITO containers

A CITO container is a small, practical way to encourage cleanup at cache sites. The container might include disposable gloves and a small trash bag so a geocacher can pick up litter safely while visiting the area. If you choose this path, think about durability, weather, and keeping the supplies usable.

Option 2: Host a CITO event

Hosting a CITO event is the bigger leadership choice. You need a location, a plan, the right people, and a clear cleanup goal. This option teaches event planning, communication, and follow-through.

Before-and-after comparison of a cache area with scattered litter and the same area cleaned up with collected trash bags and safer walking space, showing the visible impact of CITO service

What Makes CITO Effective

Whether you create containers or host an event
  • Pick a place that needs help: Focus on a real problem, not a made-up one.
  • Plan for safety: Gloves, supervision, weather, and disposal all matter.
  • Make the service visible: Explain to participants why the cleanup improves the site.
  • Leave the place better: The result should be easy to see when the work is done.

Why CITO matters to geocaching

CITO helps land managers and the public see geocachers as partners instead of just users of outdoor space. That reputation matters. When people see that the geocaching community cleans up trails, removes trash, and cares about natural areas, they are more likely to welcome the hobby.

CITO also fits the Outdoor Code perfectly. A Scout is clean, careful, considerate, and conservation-minded. This option lets you prove all four at once.

Tutorial Creating an [CITO] Event Geocache with #KeepersOfTheCacheFlo — KeepersOfTheCacheFlo
Geocaching.com — CITO The official overview of Cache In Trash Out, including the environmental purpose behind cleanup and stewardship events.

This option shows how geocaching can serve the land directly. In Req 9, you will take another leadership step by planning and running a geohunt for a youth group.