Dozens of garbage collecting teams at work in the forest of the Meili Snow Mountain[Photo/China News]

A 12-day garbage collecting activity oragnized at Meili Snow Mountain in Yunnan’s Diqing Prefecture starting from Oct.15, and 150 tons had already been cleaned up by Nov.1, reported China News.

Meili Snow Mountain, or Mt. Minling is located in Deqin County of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Yunnan Province. 2015 is the Tibetan Year of the Ram and is also the year of circumambulation around Meili Snow Mountain, where nearly 600,000 pilgrims from Tibet, Sichuan, Qinghai and Yunnan came, leaving a lot of garbage. This has not only affected the lives of local Tibetan villagers but also has damaged the local environment. The total length of the outer-ring circumambulation road is 250 kilometers, with most of it being unpopulated land. The terrain consists of high mountains and deep valleys making transport impossible and also resulting in an ever-increasing pile up of garbage, which tarnishes the beautiful views. As a result, the relevant departments have used burning methods to get rid of the garbage.

People collecting garbage near the post house[Photo/China News] 

Padma Kangyul, director of Meili Snow Mountain Administration Bureau, said that they have already been cleaning up garbage on Meili Snow Mountain for six consecutive years, cleaning up a total of more than 100 tons. As there were more circumambulators this year, they organized their largest ever cleanup operation, clearing a total of 150 tons of leftover garbage.

Padma added that new barbage would always be produced in the long run. These cleaning up activities are more aimed at arousing environmental awareness of tourists and allowing for discussions with environmental experts about ways to get rid of garbage in the deep mountains, so that the harm caused by garbage on Meili Snow Mountain can be completed eradicated. 　

View of Meili Snow Mountain in Diqing Prefecture of Yunnan Province[Photo/Xinhua]

Environmental experts said that the garbage on Meili Snow Mountain has already become a very serious social environmental problem. "From a micro-level research perspective, for garbage problems arising in ecologically fragile areas with unique natural geographical conditions and community background, it is imperative to find effective solutions."