High altitude challenge – dealing with waste in the mountains

Björn Alfthan

By GRID-Arendal

December 11^th, 2016

A new report looks at the growing problem of waste in the world’s mountain regions. It’s a problem few people think about, unless like GRID-Arendal’s Bjorn Alfthan, they climb right into it.

A few years ago, together with a few friends I went on ski tour to the summit of Mont Blanc, western Europe’s highest mountain at 4,809 metres. Reaching the top of this summit is a dream for many ski mountaineers, and hundreds if not thousands of people attempt it every year.

After a 3 a.m. start on the summit day and a several hour climb, we reached the Vallot Hut (4362m), a small emergency hut commonly used to rest in before making the final summit push.

When we opened the door to the refuge, it was quite a sight - and smell. Energy bar wrappers, organic food, discarded clothes, emergency blankets, and other waste littered the floor. The toilet was just an open hole facing down onto a snow slope. I wish I had taken a photo of the inside of that hut, but I was too exhausted at that point (someone else did, and you can get an idea of the waste here). Thankfully we soon left the hut and made the summit (with our rubbish in our packs).

The exhaustion and difficulty of operating at higher altitudes is probably part of the reason why many people dump waste on the mountain. Logistical challenges, including remoteness, the rugged nature of the terrain, as well as a general lack of awareness and responsibility, are also to blame. Some waste problems associated with mountaineering are well-publicised, such as on Mount Everest, where an estimated 140,000 kg of rubbish remains on the mountain. But it's a problem that affects almost all mountain regions.

Over the past year, I have been working with colleagues from the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Environment Technology Centre (IETC), the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) and individual experts from around the world to determine the extent of the problem of solid waste in mountain regions and what the solutions are.

Today, on the International Mountain Day, we are launching our findings in the “Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions – Sources and Solutions”. You can find the report and the official press release here.

Waste from mountaineering and trekking is by no means the only challenge facing mountain regions. The report also focuses on the waste issues facing remote communities, large mountain cities (mostly in South America and Asia), as well as the effects of mining at high altitudes. The report touches upon plastic pollution and its impact on freshwater ecosystems, illegal dumping, and the issues around natural disasters and how they affected waste.

The dam collapse at the Germano iron ore mine flooded the village of Bento Rodrigues. Photo credit: Wikicommons / Senado Federal

Hazardous waste released (accidentally or purposefully) even in relatively small quantities from a mountain mine or other source can travel up to a 700km or more downstream, as demonstrated by the recent mine waste disaster in Bento Rodriguez, Brazil. Municipal waste that is dumped in or nearby streams or rivers can also find its way far downstream. This means that waste in mountains isn’t always confined to these regions, but can affect places far away. It is a global issue that deserves more attention.

To my knowledge, this is the first report that attempts to take a comprehensive look at solid waste issues in mountain regions. We hope it will be of use to the governments of mountainous countries, the mountain research community, NGOs and donors working in mountain regions, and of course also the general public who have an interest keeping mountains clean.