'Waterfall' of rubbish cascades down Mount Snowdon including drinks bottles and santa hats

Video (click to play above) shows cascades of waste on Yr Wyddfa Mountain in Wales including drinks bottles and rucksack covers. An 'unprecedented' litter-pick on the iconic mountain left volunteers in shock - as they realised they had only scratched the surface.

From a misplaced Santa hat to plastic bottles and rucksack covers - The British Mountaineering Council volunteers removed 2,765 items of litter from Yr Wyddfa during a two-day-clean up. Over 63 per cent of the items (1,737) found were single-use products - and the most prevalent brands were Lucozade, Redbull and CocaCola/Monster.

On the first day of the clean-up (20 September), the crew saw an expert abseiling team descend into the Trinity Gullies on Clogwyn Y Garnedd, a steep area on the north-east side of the mountain, to retrieve the ‘waterfall’ of rubbish that had accumulated over many years.

This litter collection effort is the first of its kind - and aims to change attitudes to what people take with them to the mountains. Tom Carrick, BMC Access & Conservation Officer for Wales, emphasised the significance of this operation: "The most staggering realisation was the amount of single use plastic bottles within the gullies, I look forward to working with my colleagues across Eryri to begin to find a solution to encourage the use of reusable bottles on the mountainside.”

On the Saturday, a 40-strong team of volunteers joined forces in the Upper Glaslyn bowl to collect and sort the rubbish. Equipped with recyclable bags, pickers, and protective gloves, the team worked under the guidance of qualified Mountain Leaders. The event not only aimed to remove single-use pollution but also to educate and empower the outdoor community.

The team of volunteers, with support from the experts at Trash Free Trails, were encouraged to document their findings as part of the State of the Trails Report, contributing to broader environmental research and awareness.

Dom Ferris, Founder and Managing Director of Trash Free Trails, said: “Our mission is to connect people with nature through the simple yet meaningful act of removing single-use pollution from the places we love. A large percentage of what we’ve found in the gullies are single-use products. By focusing on single-use pollution and its effects, we have a real chance of making a difference.”