Spending quality time in nature is a relaxing pastime for many. But when adventuring outdoors, the last thing you want to see is a reminder of those who came before you — particularly in the form of garbage.
A hiker recently took to Reddit to share a video of "all of the rubbish" that greeted them at the summit of Scotland's famed Ben Nevis. The hiker says they collected the discarded items — which included empty drink bottles, chocolate bar wrappers, plastic bags, and even a vape — to properly dispose of them.
@db.explores.scotland This was last month but the sentiment still stands - why does anyone think it's acceptable to litter? You've literally carried it up there with you, you are responsible for taking it back down . . . #bennevis #rubbish #Scotland #stillgame #hiking #disgusting #hikersoftiktok ♬ original sound - F R A S E R | O U T D O O R S
"Why does anyone think it's acceptable to litter?" the TikToker captioned the video. "You've literally carried it up there with you, you are responsible for taking it back down."
Ben Nevis — the highest mountain in Scotland, the wider U.K., and the British Isles — is a popular hiking attraction for tourists and locals alike. The mountain hosts more than 150,000 visitors per year — and they aren't all tidy.
"This infuriates me to no end," one commenter responded to the video.
"Only take what you can bring back," another TikToker added. "Simple."
"Never understood this," a third commenter added. "You carried it up heavy. Surely you can carry it back down empty and light."
The official tourism site of Scotland includes a notice to Ben Nevis visitors about trash, showing how widespread the problem is on the mountain.
"Always remember to bring all of your litter back down the mountain with you," the site reads. "There are no bins on Ben Nevis so it's important to take care of the landscape."
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The Nevis Landscape Partnership, a community organization for Ben Nevis conservation, also advocates for minimizing individual impact on nature, beginning with proper waste management practices.
"Whilst you might visit a place only occasionally and feel that you are causing no harm…the environment has to cope with the cumulative effects of many people," the organization's website reads. "Acting with awareness and common sense underpins responsible behavior."
But the problem of garbage-filled hiking trails isn't isolated to this one summit. It's a problem many nature lovers experience when hiking trails around the globe.
To combat the issue, the environmental nonprofit organization Leave No Trace outlines seven principles for anyone visiting the outdoors. Included in these often-cited principles is the need to dispose of waste properly.
"Trash items can take significant time to break down, are incredibly harmful to wildlife, and are unsightly to other visitors," the nonprofit's website reads. "Any user of natural spaces is responsible for cleaning up before they leave."
Leave No Trace advises to "pack it in, pack it out." If you bring it on the trail, take it with you — even leftover food. Importantly, the organization says burning trash is never recommended.
Access to nature and hiking trails is a privilege — especially considering how much of our natural environment has already been destroyed by development and pollution. When interacting with nature, we should strive to leave the environment as good as we found it, if not better.
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