As iconic long walks increase in popularity, they are bringing with them an unwanted problem into our national parks and beauty spots … litter … and lots of it.
Hikers on the Larapinta Trail near Alice Springs have complained that significant amounts of toilet paper is being left strewn about, distracting from the magnificence of the surroundings.
Veteran bushwalker, Michelle Forrer, told the ABC that education was the key to reducing human impact on the trails.
“This was definitely the biggest downside to my experience on the trail and I was wondering what could be done about it,” she said. “Some of it may have been dug up by animals, but a lot of it looked discarded.”
Litter seems to be a growing problem in many rest areas and camping spots. PIC: Cizza
Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife said this year is set to be the busiest season ever for the 230-kilometre trail in the heart of the West MacDonnell National Park.
“In the first two weeks of July the numbers of independent walkers, not including those on commercial tours, averaged at just over 300 people per night,” NT Parks and Wildlife operations director, Chris Day, told the ABC. “One of the things that we’ve noticed is there’s probably a slightly different market on the trail this year … there’s probably a lot of people who are not what you call seasoned bushwalkers.”
He said evidence of human waste on the trail had been a problem for many years but it typically became more apparent as the tourism season wore on.
The ABC reports that NT Parks and Wildlife is in the early design stages of installing toilets on some of the higher sections of the Larapinta trail, with location approvals by traditional owners and funding yet to be secured.
In the meantime, Mr Day said there were 16 toilets along the track and he encouraged hikers to plan ahead and use the facilities.
“But where you get caught short and there is no toilet, the recommendation is to get at least 100 metres away from the trail, the campsite, any waterhole or watercourse, and dig a shallow hole and bury [the waste and the toilet paper] properly,” he told the ABC.
Of course, it is not just the hiking trails where toilet paper and other litter is a problem in this country. Many grey nomads report similar issues at rest areas and campsites, and the problem may be getting worse.
Just shut them down for 6 months at a time, if significant litter is found, eventually the public will get the picture.
You could build as many bush toilets as you want..BUT
Some people will just shit anywhere around the bush..!
dead right,
I would like to see a different tack. Rather than telling travellers to bag their toilet pater, we give out “free camping packages” .with information inside about use of these, definitions about self contained, and the need to bag toilet paper. Provide a few paper bags for this. Rather
like the Keep Australia Beautiful campaign. KAB might offer assistance and advice on how to do this. Could be an Australia wide campaign spearheaded by Grey Nomads . It would demonstrate that we acknowledge the issue and are willing to help solve the problem.
great idea.You will get idiots unfortunely
I am glad that I did a lot of outback travelling in the 90’s. Far less people and far less rubbish left for others to clean up. I don’t know where the present mentality came from. I live on a beautiful section of the Qld coast, looking out at Fraser Island. The amount of coffee cups, cans, Macca’s wrapper’s left by people that drive to this section of the coast to admire the view and leave their crap behind is just appalling.
Everywhere we camped on our Lap 10 years ago we saw “paper daisies” littering the roadside and free camping sites. Ignorant bastards!