How Sky Lantern & Balloon Litter Can Kill

Many think of litter as unsightly and, at worst, a nuisance or perhaps a bit unhygienic. However, certain types of litter can actually be very dangerous, and can kill. Here we take a look at both sky lanterns and helium balloons and how they impact upon the environment when they fall back to Earth as litter.

Chinese/Sky Lanterns

Image credit: Pixabay
Image credit: Pixabay

Sky lanterns are still a relatively new item for celebrations in the UK, and are commonly released on New Year eve, and for weddings, birthdays, memorials and other similar occasions. Due to the novelty factor, the cheap availability, and simply the beautiful appearance of the lanterns in the night sky, these items are very popular. They can be written on with pen directly or sometimes sentimental notes are attached, depending on the occasion. Continue reading How Sky Lantern & Balloon Litter Can Kill

The Secret of Mount Everest’s Human Faeces Litter Problem

When you think about Mount Everest, I imagine the last thing that comes to mind is litter. Yet if you are wanting to climb Everest, you now have to collect 8 kilograms of litter and human waste whilst you’re up there, which can’t include your own.

Scaled for the first time ever in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, Mount Everest is still a very popular mountaineering destination; being the highest mountain on Earth at 29,035ft, it is the ultimate challenge for many climbers. Being a vast natural space, there are no bins or toilets on Everest beyond the base camp at 17,380ft, so it seems many on expeditions simply discard their rubbish and human waste on the mountain with little thought given to its impact on the local environment. Continue reading The Secret of Mount Everest’s Human Faeces Litter Problem