Volunteers remove 115kg of rubbish from the Ben

Tissues and tampons majority of litter gathered in annual clean-up

Tissues, tampons, a pair of shoes and a bin were among the 115kg of rubbish and other items picked up from the slopes and summit of Ben Nevis in this month’s annual Real3Peaks Challenge.

A large memorial cross was also removed and taken to a memorial garden in Glen Nevis.

The event saw 30 separate locations across the UK’s most iconic mountains, including Ben Nevis, all ‘deep cleaned’ over the same weekend.

When the event started back in 2013 with the aim of having a mass participation litter pick on the three highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales, the total amount of rubbish scraped off the sides of Ben Nevis alone was 230kg.

Over the intervening years, that figure has steadily decreased – with the odd exception year – and this year’s event saw 115kg of waste collected from Ben Nevis by volunteers.

However, when it comes to a total for all the peaks being tackled by volunteer clean-up squads and individuals, that amount has kept increasing from 265kg in 2013 to 611kg last year – this year’s figure is still being collated.

The Ben Nevis clean-up was founded and is co-ordinated by Kinlochleven-based hillwalking guide, mountain skills instructor and outdoor

The Ben Nevis deep clean team – Phil, Jon, Sebastian, Mark, Lynn, Callum, Graeme and Robert. Not pictured – Claire and Rich Pyne. activity business owner, Rich Pyne.

In his report, Mr Pyne states that in all, 15 bags totalling 115kg of waste were removed from Ben Nevis by a team of 10 people.

‘Nearly all of it was tissues and tampons, with the exception of a pair of shoes, a large cross and a bin,’ he added.

Mr Pyne says the worst spot was the summit shelter after someone placed a refuse bin inside for rubbish to be disposed of.

‘All it actually did was encourage people to leave stuff behind, which they did. The food waste inside was rancid, smelt extremely strongly, and was obviously a hazard to health,’ added Mr Pyne.

The memorial cross was removed from its mountain path location and handed in to the local office of the John Muir Trust.

Mr Pyne explained: ‘It is most likely that it will be placed in the memorial garden in Glen Nevis, which was designed for those who wish to leave a reminder of their loved ones in the Ben Nevis area.

‘A large number of memorials are left on the Ben each year, which do not belong there. If they are not relocated, then the mountain soon looks like a cemetery.’

As well as Ben Nevis, sites cleaned in Lochaber this year also included three locations in Glencoe.