4,600 Items of Litter Cleared from Wales’ Highest Peak in Weekend Clean-Up

Volunteers have removed more than 4,600 pieces of rubbish from Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in a major weekend clean-up effort.

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) organised the annual event, which saw 50 volunteers and eight professional mountaineers scale and abseil the mountain to collect discarded items ranging from bottles and crisp packets to cowboy hats.

This year’s haul was significantly higher than 2024’s total of 2,765 items, with 4,282 pieces collected from the upper Glaslyn bowl near the popular Pyg Track. A further 321 items were cleared from the Pen y Pass car park and along the Pyg and Miners’ tracks.

Lucozade bottles, Red Bull cans and Walkers crisp packets were the most commonly found brands. Unusual finds included a five-pound note, scallop shell, “50 and fabulous” banner, bashed binoculars, a fully functioning camping stove, a camera lens, an umbrella, and even two cowboy hats.

The BMC analyses the collected waste to support campaigns for tougher environmental legislation, including the planned Deposit Return Scheme in 2027 and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which would require companies to pay fees for single-use pollution found in beauty spots.

The team reported that 70% of the litter was single-use, with 30% made up of confectionery wrappers. Around 5% consisted of outdoor gear likely dropped by accident, such as jackets, hats and maps.

Alec Young, carbon officer for Eryri National Park Authority, described it as a “successful weekend”, praising the collaboration between organisations. “We will continue to focus on keeping the mountain clean through projects like this,” he said.