Ningxia park ‘garbage bank’ pays tourists

YINCHUAN — Tourist Qian Yunxia carried a garbage bag when she visited the Helanshan National Forest Park, later dropping it off at a bank at the foot of the mountain area in exchange for gifts.

“It’s a beautiful place, and we should keep it clean,” said Qian, from Gansu province.

The “garbage bank” in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region saw business soar during the National Day holiday, when tourists flocked to the scenic area.

The bank was set up in July in the parking lot. Tourists can bring garbage they collect in exchange for goji berries, also known as wolfberries, paper fans, and other handmade souvenirs.

“Rewards are not the most important,” Qian said. “The point is to keep Mother Earth beautiful.”

The mighty Helan Mountains stretch across Ningxia and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and are an important ecological barrier in the northwest. The forest park is tucked away in the mountains and boasts undulating hills, thick forests and wildlife.

But while visiting the park is pleasant, cleaning it is not.

Bai Yuyin, a sanitation worker who has been working at the scenic spot for years, said garbage in the park used to be a big headache.

“Garbage is usually scattered around the mountain, and collecting it is hard and dangerous,” Bai said. “Some tourists even toss beer bottles into the valleys just to hear the sound.”

Wang An’ping, assistant manager of the park, said tainting the Helan Mountains will destroy everything, and environmental protection is an urgent task.

In July, local volunteers opened the garbage bank, and Wang said they “finally figured out a cost-effective way to encourage tourists to reduce garbage”.

Besides souvenirs, tourists selected by the park will also enjoy access to the park free of charge three times throughout the year, while their companions can receive a 50 percent discount.

Since the project was launched, less garbage has been seen in the area.

“We handed out about 2,000 garbage bags every day during the National Day holiday, which greatly reduced garbage here,” said Xue Yan, a volunteer at the park.

Wang An’ping said, “Raising public awareness of environmental protection will be a long process, and we will continue to implement the project in the future.”

Raising public awareness of environmental protection will be a long process, and we will continue to implement the project in the future.” Wang An’ping,