We encourage everyone taking to the hills and climbing the crags to be responsible for taking all their own litter home.
We can all think about the choices we make when buying, consuming and disposing of food and drink items that we take along with us. We know the story: reduce packaging, reuse bags and bottles, recycle all that can be recycled.
Our message is - If we don't do it, who will?
Mountaineering Scotland, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park and the National Trust for Scotland teamed up on Sunday 29th September 2024 for the first ever TakItHame litter pick event on Ben Lomond.
Staff, volunteers and members of Loch Lomond Mountain Rescue joined together to raise awareness of littering in the hill, and managed to clear a fantastic 10 bags of rubbish from Ben Lomond’s slopes over the course of the day.
Mountaineering Scotland President, Anne Butler, added: “Not only did we leave the mountain path in a much better state than we found it, but the event enabled us to engage with, and educate, the hill walking community on the importance of personal responsibility and creating a culture of environmental protection.”
If you can’t join us on Ben Lomond, we encourage you to get some of our special TakItHame reusable bags (see below), organise your own TakItHame Day Event in your local area or on your planned hill walk or club meet and share your photos and videos with us on Instagram @MountaineeringScotland
To receive an information pack on how to create your own TakItHame Day event, please email us at info@mountaineering.scot
TakItHame bags are designed to be kept in your rucksack, so you have something to put your litter in every time you head to the hills, to take it home for recycling or disposal in your household waste. Designed to be used multiple times, you can simply wash and dry the bag and put it back in your rucksack for the next time.
The bags are made from potato starch, so when they reach the end of their lifespan, you can either use them in your food waste bin or into your home compost bin (remember they are not plastic, so please don't put them in your plastic recycling!).
How to get your #TakItHame bags:
We ask you to show others too! Tell the world that we can all do something to keep our environment clean and safe by:
And this message applies locally as well as up in the hills, so you can make your own local area a nicer, cleaner place as well.
Only do what you assess is safe and feel comfortable doing – do not put yourself or others at risk.
There are three key things to remember:
Microplastics in the environment
It is becoming increasing clear now that some plastic materials are not biodegradable. They include additives which lead to the disintegration of the plastic material into tiny fragments that persist in the environment indefinitely. These contribute to harmful microplastic pollution and negatively affect the recycling of conventional plastic. Examples of such items include carrier bags, agricultural mulch films, plastic bottles, blister packaging, labels and caps.
Keep Scotland Beautiful state that “single-use plastic items are extremely damaging to our environment, blighting our landscapes as litter, polluting our rivers and seas, and contributing to higher greenhouse gas emissions.”
Our challenge is changing some of our habits to reduce the amount of taking single-use plastic we take with us into the hills. Carrying snacks and drinks in washable, reusable containers makes us think about what we eat and drink. Making our own food and snacks before we go takes a bit of planning and time, but is a great way to save money and reduce packaging.
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ClimbScotland is a registered trademark of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland Limited
Mountaineering Scotland is a registered trademark of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland Limited
