Volunteers collect 1.5 tons of trash from Mount Gede-Pangrango

Maybe they are just impromptu climbers, so they don't know how to take care of nature

Cianjur, West Java (ANTARA) - Hundreds of volunteers have collected 1.5 tons of garbage left behind by climbers from Mount Gede-Pangrango, Cianjur, West Java, as part of an annual clean-up drive.

One of the volunteers, Niko Rastagil, said that most of the trash comprised instant noodle packaging and plastic drink bottles or cans. Nature lovers must not leave trash all over, yet every year, the mountain is riddled with so much trash, he remarked.

Every year, the Mount Gede Pangrango National Park Office closes hiking trails to restore the ecosystem and conduct clean-up activities, starting from the hiking trail to the mount summit, he said. The office involves hundreds of volunteers from various places in the task, he added.

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However, every year, climbers behind leave a lot of garbage, he said adding, he hoped that climbers would uphold cleanliness and natural preservation values. Officers appeal to climbers to bring garbage back at the start of every climb, he said.

"Maybe they are just impromptu climbers, so they don't know how to take care of nature. Hopefully, this will be a (lesson) for all climbers so they don't leave trash anymore, because it's clear that plastic waste is difficult to melt," he added.

The clean-up event was carried out at the three entrances to Mount Gede-Pangrango, the entrance to Mount Putri-Cianjur, the entrance to Cibodas-Cianjur, and the entrance to Salabintana-Sukabumi, he said. Hundreds of volunteers worked in three groups to collect trash, he added.

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"This is an annual agenda, so that at the end and beginning of the year, climbing is (ceased) because the manager is doing restoration and clean-up along the hiking trail to the top of the mountain, particularly the Suryakancana square," he informed.

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