Leave no trace: Finland removes litter bins from national parks
Leave no trace: Finland removes litter bins from national parks
The practice of litter-free hiking is becoming increasingly popular.
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Feels like: let's remove hospitals so that less people get injured š¤·š¼āāļø
Litter bins in the middle of a forest still have to be emptied by someone. And while they are there, they can be accessed by wildlife.
The correct solution here really is for the same people that bring the trash, to take it back with them, and discard it elsewhere.
If people won't do that, then yes, the litter bin is the better option, but if they do, removing them is the better option. Especially if they aren't even being filled anymore.
This is the locigal next step for an already improving hiking culture.
Japan is very similar but not exclusive to parks, even in the middle of Tokyo. Pretty much EVERYWHERE in Japan expects you to carry your own trash.
The only exception to this really being at restaurant's, street food markets, and "some" vending machines (which will have recycling for cans/plastic).
And you know what? There's very little trash on the streets. The dirtiest areas I experienced was Osaka near Amerika-mura (young trendy area) which was mostly just stuck gum, cigarette butts, and in the early AM maybe an empty can of beer.
That was the same experience I had in Okinawa, but it was kind of frustrating since we were tourists visiting family members and didn't really have bags to carry trash in (and this, an international street for tourists).
With hiking it's probably better though, especially since bags are a given. Bins just make sense in areas where you aren't expected to have a bag (vending machines make sense in that regard).
and if people throw their trash on the ground, they themselves should be removed instead. litterers are literal scum of the earth.
You are totally right and I never wanted to imply that people should be able to take trash into the wildlife. I'm just not sure if it's the best way to just remove the litter bins. Many people that didn't get the note will throw their trash into nature because of the lack of a trashcan.
If the trash is already there, it's too late. There should be a way to enforce that in a way were ignoring or not knowing about the rules will not result in an even worse outcome.
But will that kind of person really carry trash until a resting place, or maybe just dispose of it where they open stuff?
I personally always found trash cans in areas not commly frequented by cars rather odd - I got tought in the 80s and 90s that we are careful how we pack things we take with us when hiking, and take everything back.
It is a conecpt a 3 year old can understand (I see that now with my own kids), so you'd expect an adult not to have a hard time with that.
A lot of adults are just assholes, though.
the bins can be designed to prevent wildlife from accessing them. I guess they donāt have any other facilities nearby that would need maintenance as well. So bring your own water and porta potty as well.
I am not sure how removing the littler bins will help. Sure there are disciplined people trying to abide by laws and such, but the more a place gets popular, the more it attracts trash? Itās an odd choice to remove the means for people to dispose of their litter properly.
Perhaps thereāa another angle to this?
I guess it speaks more to how many fins are cleanly by nature when it comes to their travel and camping?
Because, yeah, sure, above a certain critical mass this is good. Less animals plundering bins and so on.
Try that over here, and it's the opposite. We need more bins so people stop throwing trash everywhere when there's always a bin within arm's reach pretty much.
Litter bins attract curious animals
Oooh. Should we just spread them out everywhere so they wonāt congregate in the place? (I donāt know if Iām joking or not anymore)
If that is the point of view, then it should be OK, I guess? I mean, hiking is not that as popular a trash-magnet activity compared to crowd attractions like parks. Right?
You don't understand the Finnish, they love their country and will do everything to protect it, even if it is nonsensical to the west
Now that is a point I can understand. Because where I came from, people just litter left and right even with the bins around. Such a pain.
Including raking your forests to prevent forest fires?
Not in the slightest. It's not exactly a massive burden to take your rubbish home with you.
It's not about burden, it's about the ststistical possibility this happens.
Not stealing a car isn't s burden either, would you let your car sit on the street unlocked though?
Good laws/rules should avoid problems instead of hoping everyone would follow them, which never happens anyway.
That's why you don't just outlaw hateful speech and hope for the best but try to instill in young people why hateful speech is bad.
You need a solution that scales and isn't depending on good will is all I'm trying to bring across š¤·š¼āāļø
Good culture is not needing to legislate against stupid behaviour. I've been to beaches in Europe which are very clean and beaches in Turkey which are full of litter. Both have rubbish bins which are collected regularly. It's all down to local culture.
I can't speak for Finland, but I think Sweden has a similar culture and the "leave no trace" motto is strong here since nature is considered a communal resource.
I have never seen bins even on major trails here, but I have never seen anything but miniscule amounts of litter either.
If there is no need to pay for the upkeep of bins, why not put those resources to better use like conservation of the park?