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Options for waste management
There are many different ways of dealing with human waste
(urine and faeces) from mountaineers, although leaving the
waste behind (buried in soil or snow, or deposited in crevasses) is
still by far the most common means of disposal in remote alpine
environments (Derlet et al., 2008; Pickering and Barros, 2015).
Initiatives such as the Clean Mountain Can (CMC), introduced by
the American Alpine Club in 2001 in Denali led to the current
policy requiring all climbers to carry and use CMCs (Rassler,
2014). The CMC is a portable toilet which is specifically designed
for use on three-week expeditions. The CMCs have had some
success in minimizing contamination of surface snow, although
there are reports that climbers empty out the CMCs in other
crevassed areas (Apollo, 2014). Another similar programme is the
‘Pack it out - Poo pots’ introduced in New Zealand (Department
of Conservation, n.d.). Other forms of human waste removal are
more expensive and resource intensive, such as fly-out systems
using helicopters, as is the case on Mount Aconcagua. Fly-out
systems are also commonly used in the European Alps to remove
waste from refuges. There has, however, been limited success in
policing and monitoring these practices. An estimated 200 kg of
human faeces were left in campsites around Mount Aconcagua
during the 2010/2011 summer season, representing a 10 per
cent non-compliance with Park policy (Barros, Pickering and
Gudes, 2015) – which requires packing up waste in bags for
deposit at Park exit points.
Other solid waste, such as plastic residue and other materials
are often burned in open pits or carried off the mountain and
dumped in nearby landfills. However, many of the existing
municipal and regional waste management facilities are basic
and poorly resourced (if they exist at all), and are not designed to
deal with additional solid waste; they can be filled to capacity or
even overflow (e.g. Wani & Ahmad, 2013; Anand & Singh, 2014).
Other issues include a lack of adequate lining (such as geo-
membranes) covering the floor of these landfills; these help to
contain leachate from toxic refuse such as batteries and plastics,
which can pollute groundwater and subsoils.
Mountaineer carrying a green
Clean Mountain Can on top of
his rucksack.
Photo
©
Coley Gentzel