MOUNTAINEERING Scotland is asking locals to help keep Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park clear of litter as mountaineers and walkers alike return to the hills.

Scotland’s hillwalking organisation has launched its “Tak it Hame 2020” campaign as coronavirus lockdown eases and the lifting of travel restrictions has seen much publicity about littering and ‘dirty camping’ in some of the country’s most popular beauty spots – with the Advertiser recently reporting on the 21 people charged with irresponsible camping at Loch Lomond as a tree was set alright and almost 30 bags of litter collected by park staff.

Davie Black, access and conservation officer for Mountaineering Scotland said: “When we launched the Tak It Hame campaign alongside our Conservation Strategy in June 2019, we hoped that our members and clubs would get involved and that it might start to reach the wider hill-walking and mountaineering community. In fact, it reached much further than we ever expected, with people from all over Scotland and the UK contacting us and wanting to get involved.

READ MORE: Campers charged as trees are damaged and trails of litter are left around National Park

“Many of Mountaineering Scotland’s affiliated clubs organised litter picks, and many individuals – both members and non-members - shared photos on social media of the litter they had removed from the hills, using the #TakItHame hashtag.

"It was really encouraging to see how people got behind the campaign and that’s why we are keen to get it back up and running again this year.”

Hill-goers are encouraged to take a suitable bag in their backpack each time they venture out, which they can use to take litter away for recycling or disposal.

As part of the campaign, Mountaineering Scotland is also asking people to think about how they could reduce their use of packaging for drinks, snacks and packed lunches, and find alternatives to single use plastics and food wrap.

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