In a bid to raise awareness about proposal disposal of wastes along hiking routes, students of Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management (NATHM) on Tuesday collected 16 sacks of trash and litter from Telkot to Nagarkot hiking trail. 

Over six dozen students, who are undergoing City Tour Guide training at NATHM, took the initiatives to clean up the trail while exploring the famous hiking route in Kathmandu Valley as part of their course.

“Plastic is toxic for environment, and if we don’t work on cleaning such a beautiful trail, this will send a bad message among tourists,” said BishnuTamang, a young tourism entrepreneur, who took the initiation for the clean-up drive.

“As we will hike on various trails nearby Kathmandu, and we’ve decided to clean the non-biodegradable trash,” said Tamang.

During the hike that lasted for nearly three hours, the tourism students picked up plastic bottles, and chocolateand biscuit covers, noodle and tobacco packets.

When enquired about the littering and failing to develop a system for garbage disposal by local authority, Changunarayan Municipality Ward-6 Chairman Santa Bahadur Waiba praised the noble task undertaken by the students.

“We appreciate the drive. The students have done the things we villagers should have done,” said Waiba.

Apart from picking up the plastic trashes from the trekking route, students stopped to talk with locals and requested them to stop disposing such garbage along the route.

According to locals, around two dozen domestic and foreigners walk through the trail every day. The number of domestic hikers increases during holidaysbut they seem least bothered about proper disposal of the trash, locals complained. 

“As a tour guide, we have also learned that throwing the plastic waste is a sin because it has many negative impacts on the environment and also make the route untidy. I guess this will be a lesson for tourism students,” said Dev Gurung another participant.

The students dumped the collected wastes at garbage bins kept along the way.