Litter on summits

I’m sure nobody involved in SOTA would deliberately leave litter on a summit. I was advised that a SOTA activator had been up on a commonly activated SOTA summit and found several of the fence posts complete with used Ty-Raps attached loosely. From their experience they reckoned the Ty-Raps looked like they had been used to secure a fishing rod to the fence to support an aerial. Perhaps they had been left attached to be used again. Perhaps the owner had forgotten to remove them. Or perhaps the owner just could not be bothered clearing up after them. Perhaps they were there for some other valid reason. But said activator did feel they were out of place and would have removed them but had no suitable tool with them at the time.

From experience, most walkers are very conscientious at not dropping litter. It’s rare I find anything discarded deliberately on the hills by people I consider real walkers. I’m sure I’m not alone in picking up the odd bit of rubbish and carrying it back with me to dispose of properly.

SOTA activators stand out compared to what are regarded as normal hill walkers. So please can I ask that we all do our best to ensure we clean up after we have activated and don’t give others a chance to brand us as litterbugs. Check there’s nothing left like Ty-Raps, pieces of insulating tape, bits of rope etc. Then just before you leave, check again.

Leave only footprints. Take only memories. And any litter you find :wink:

Andy
MM0FMF

In reply to MM0FMF:

I echo your comments Andy.

I once brought back a section of fishing rod, which had snapped, home with me from G/NP-028. I had found the section, with some Ty-Raps, next to the fence. I was disappointed that this item had been left. If it hadn’t have been broken of course, I’d have been delighted :wink:

73
Colin
M0CGH

In reply to MM0FMF:
Go up gm/ws-001Ben Nevis and you all will be horrified at the littering on the ‘tourist track’!

It can only be described as disgusting.

Let’s all do our bit and keep our hills and mountains tidy please!

Adrian

In reply to MM0TAI:

Is that cairn of broken footwear still by the tourist route? Litter it might be, but it made me chuckle!

73

Brian G8ADD

In reply to G8ADD:
Never noticed it before??? Will keep an eye out the next time tho

In reply to MM0TAI:
Up the ‘Ben’ last Saturday. First time in over 20 years. Litter level disgusting. Though that said the summiteers are not your usual walkers - the ‘sanny footwear’ brigade with the same mentality when it comes to litter!

(:>(

In reply to G8ADD:

In reply to MM0TAI:

Is that cairn of broken footwear still by the tourist route? Litter it
might be, but it made me chuckle!

Dry stone walls seem to be the new litter bins these days, Brian. The gaps in the stones are often stuffed full of fag butts, plastic sandwich wrappers and crisp packets :frowning:

73 Mike
M6MMM

In reply to MM0FMF:

I too have found the occasional bits of rubbish that look like SOTA stuff. Fortunately it’s not a common occurrence. Equally, I know of activators who take rubbish down from summits; Tom does that on the Cloud.

73

Richard
G3CWI

In reply to G3CWI:

Some time ago there was an arrangement where climbing clubs would adopt summits and keep them clear of rubbish. The climbing club that I am a member of adopted Moel Siabod GW/NW-010: on our first session we brought down ten bin bags full of litter. That was nearly thirty years ago - nothing changes!

If we all carried a plastic carrier bag with us and filled it on the summit then we would help to keep the litter problem under control, as Tom does (more strength to his drinking arm!) Mind you, the last summit I was on, Mynnydd Carningli MW-033, was spotlessly clean despite the crowds!

73

Brian G8ADD

In reply to G8ADD:

IMHO, even worse than litter is the dog filth left behind by dog-owners on some of the more accessible summits. CE-001 and CE-002 are particularly bad in this respect. I am pleased to note that WB-021 is much improved this year, following the posting of notices by the local council and the installation of CCTV.

It is very unpleasant to have to pick one’s way through “fresh” dog droppings on some of our more popular summits. Even more unpleasant when you step on one. :frowning:

73,
Walt (G3NYY)

In reply to G3NYY:

In reply to G8ADD:

It is very unpleasant to have to pick one’s way through
“fresh” dog droppings on some of our more popular summits.
Even more unpleasant when you step on one. :frowning:

Steer well clear of Great Orme, then Walt. Virtually every square inch is coverd in sheep and goat droppings. Ten times worse than the trudge up the Cyrn-y-Brain path and that’s pretty bad…

73 Mickey
M6MMM

In reply to G3NYY:

There are worse things, Walt! The path up the incline on the lower part of MW-033 was liberally bespattered with cow manure: higher up and even on the summit it was horse manure - if I’d had a bag I’d have brought back some of that for the garden, but as it was I brought back too much of the bovine manure on my boots!

As a dog owner, I always carry some of those little black bags in my pocket - which reminds me that I boggle at the mentality of the dog owners that religiously bag their doggy poo in black bags and then chuck the bags to one side! At least the dog poo degrades quickly, the bags might be there for years!

73

Brian G8ADD

In reply to 2E0YYY:

Steer well clear of Great Orme, then Walt. Virtually every square inch
is coverd in sheep and goat droppings.

Even they are not as nasty as dog droppings. They don’t stick to your boots so easily. :frowning:

73,
Walt (G3NYY)

In reply to G8ADD:

There are worse things, Walt!

I can’t think of many! They harbour all kinds of noxious diseases that can be transmitted to humans, especially to young children.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A3116684

73,
Walt (G3NYY)

In reply to G3NYY:

Not quite correct, Walt. They MAY harbour these diseases but do not necessarily, whereas your wording suggests that it is inevitable. Twelve cases a year are too many, but even so it shows that the risk is actually quite small, and some of those cases probably come from foxes. So my attitude is that the mess is unpleasant and the owner should clear it up, but the risk factor is small.

73

Brian G8ADD

In reply to G3NYY:

I can’t think of many! They harbour all kinds of noxious diseases
that can be transmitted to humans, especially to young children.

The most annoying thing is dog owners who let their dogs off the leash as soon as they get into the country side. I was activating G/SP-013 Gun, when two red setters appeared out of nowhere and sent my rig flying. A sheepish woman appeared and apologised. When I asked why they were’nt leashed, she simply shrugged her shoulders.

73 Mickey
M6MMM

In reply to G8ADD:

Not quite correct, Walt. They MAY harbour these diseases but do not
necessarily, whereas your wording suggests that it is inevitable.
Twelve cases a year are too many, but even so it shows that the risk
is actually quite small, and some of those cases probably come from
foxes. So my attitude is that the mess is unpleasant and the owner
should clear it up, but the risk factor is small.

Ah yes, but as a dog owner you WOULD say that, Brian.
:slight_smile:

73,
Walt (G3NYY)

In reply to G3NYY:
So my attitude is that the mess is unpleasant and the
owner should clear it up, but the risk factor is small.

Ah yes, but as a dog owner you WOULD say that, Brian.
:slight_smile:

73,
Walt (G3NYY)

No, not as a dog owner (I’m not even sure who owns who!) but as a realist. How many children are there in this country? Call it twelve million for convenience, then the chance of infection is literally one in a million for any given year. Children are precious, it is worth taking precautions for them, but it isn’t a hazard that would be worth losing any sleep over!

73

Brian G8ADD

In reply to 2E0YYY:
When I asked why they were’nt leashed, she simply shrugged her shoulders.

73 Mickey
M6MMM

I can answer your question for you, Mickey, since she didn’t bother. Dogs are essentially hunting animals, to keep healthy they need some vigorous exercise every day. They do not get that on a lead, they are limited to the much slower human rate of progress. The woman was not at fault in letting them off the lead as soon as she could, she was at fault in not training them and keeping them near enough to her to control their antics.

73

Brian G8ADD

In reply to G8ADD:

No, not as a dog owner (I’m not even sure who owns who!) but as a
realist. How many children are there in this country? Call it twelve
million for convenience, then the chance of infection is literally one
in a million for any given year. Children are precious, it is worth
taking precautions for them, but it isn’t a hazard that would be worth
losing any sleep over!

Well, I’m very glad that most local councils in England and Wales do not share your view, Brian. For example, the Forest Of Dean Council, which is in charge of the area which includes G/WB-021, has a zero-tolerance policy against dog-fouling and routinely issues fixed penalty notices to anyone seen failing to clean up after their animal. Failure to pay the £50 - £80 can lead to a £1000 fine in Court.

http://www.fdean.gov.uk/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=6355

Likewise the Bolton Council, whose territory includes several G/SP summits.

http://www.bolton.gov.uk/website/pages/Dogandanimalfouling.aspx

73,
Walt (G3NYY)