This is an experience that I completed while I was still near the Indo-Nepal border in West Bengal. Inspired by the company ‘Indiahikes’ I felt compelled to pick up trash on trekking trails. I carried a small handbag each day for 5 days and picked up whatever trash I could while on the trails. This was carried out by 20 other people as well. I used to walk on the trail like normal trekking and then whenever I see something like a wrapper or a plastic bottle I pick it up and at the end of the day I would segregate it and throw it in separate bins where it would be turned into compost, burned, sent to the landfill or recycled depending on what kind of waste category it fits into.

I did this experience because I am very passionate about the natural beauty of the Himalayas and I was compelled to help in the small way that I can by picking up the trash that ruined it. Not only was the natural beauty ruined but at the same time, the trash was also affecting the wildlife in the area and causing land pollution.

This kind of service is different as compared to others, in this case only one person working was not going to cut it. Trekking is a difficult activity and picking up trash while being exhausted is not something that you do on daily basis. This is where teamwork comes in. Everyone goes on the same trail so that even when one person misses some trash because of their exhaustion, someone else can pick it up(I know because I picked up at least 20 dairy milk wrappers and at least 35 bubblegum wrappers). This also means we can pick up more trash so as to make the trail as clean as possible so that the next trekker that visits does not have their natural experience polluted by human littering. In total, we were able to gather 10 kg of waste from the trek trail during the 5 days.

Littering is a major global issue that stems from the careless tourist mentality that humans tend to have when visiting a foreign land. We tend to forget that even if we are not directly littering our own homes we are still polluting the earth. This tourist mentality leads to pollution of natural landscapes which takes away the appeal of trekking as a way to experience the Himalayas.

All in all, cleaning the mountains was an incredible way to learn the importance of cleanliness and gain some pride as someone that contributed to keeping the landscapes clean. It helps the wildlife and improves the trekking experience.