Rubbish removed from Daedunsan

[shanja]

Though it's a bit belated, I thought I'd let you know Josh "ice worm" (he spits acid) Fuller and I picked up and carried out about 40-45 litres of trash from the area around Dweiji-bawi/ New Millenium Ridge a few weeks ago.
The interesting thing was that the watse was 100% climbers waste. It was old webbing, anchors, bolts, cables, pitons and such (ended up being rather heavy with all the metal). Great to see these dodgy dangerous bits of pro being replaced, but then to have it just piled up and left at the base (on a through hiking trail) was a bit disappointing.
I'm sure heaps of other KOTRers are picking up stuff like this from time to time as well, so please post it up when you do so. The more detailed trash removal we can document, the stronger a case we can offer for councils, govt's and authortities to act on the problem of pollution etc. Also it makes you feel good knowing your crag is cleaner for next time you climb there.

[Hypoxic]

Beauty, Jake, thanks for that.

Yes, please post any cleanups - no matter how small - here on the forum. I love hearing these stories and to me it seems to underline what the KMPL is trying so hard to do: get more people caring about the issue of litter (and the bigger environmental issues that entails) and actively being good mountaineers by not only packing out your own stuff but doing a little work of cleaning up dirty sites.

Again, stellar job, Jake and Josh.

Just to note, the KMPL removed 100 litres on its cleanup yesterday. Most of it was in a buried cache that we were able to date to circa 1990.

This reminds me that KOTR and the KMPL really have to get a joint cleanup off the ground. Jake and I have tossed the idea around in the past, but it never seems to materialize. Make a memo-to-self: this spring, KOTR and the KMPL will do a weekend trip that will include cleaning, trail inspections, and other conservation efforts, plus some fun downtime for climbing, hiking, resting, and other recreational good stuff.

So, how about this: KOTR/KMPL, Gyeryongsan Joint Cleanup Weekend, May 22-23.

[mtnbk13]

is buying regulation garbage bags and toting them all the way back to the dumpster in my apartment the only way to accomplish this? I often feel inclined to bring a bag up with me hiking/climbing, but I'm not sure about the best way to handle it/the legality of toting trash home to throw away at my building (my super is really uptight about trash disposal. not gonna lie, i'm a little scared every time i go down there).

[Hypoxic]

If the bags are government regulated and you descend into a township, you're allowed to leave it in a designated area, which is often just outside of any establishment. I understand any reservations you may have with this, but note that you can put bags down almost anywhere in a housing area in Korea and will be picked up. Just make sure it's not in the way of anything, like traffic, and is neatly piled and easily available for the garbage truck.

In the national parks, the KMPL brings all the trash/recyclables it collects to the nearest park office. Along trailheads where there are no offices (and there are many), the KMPL has gotten friendly with local restaurants or watering holes. We stop by there on our way down for drinks and grub, and the people at the establishment agree to throw our collection in with theirs.

Also note that your trash and recyclables should be in different bags. Recyclables can be put into orange coloured wicker-style bags with green pullstrings, called jae-hwal yong bong-too (재활용봉투). Common seperation rules apply: glass, plastic, tin/metal, etc.

[shanja]

Like Shawn said...you can buy seperate bags and sort the garbage on the hill and bring it down like that, or like Josh and I did, we just stuffed it all in our packs and sorted it at home between our (variously designated) garbage bins. If the dude is a bit of a "policeman wanna be", then I totally understand your concerns....maybe just put it in a green 쓰레기봉투 (Sse-re-gi-bong-tu) bag and leave it on the street where you see a pile of other such bags....should be a site like this nearby wherever you live/ on the way out from a hill. Hope that helps, and thanks for the post too!