Next time you’re hiking in the wilderness of Yosemite National Park, you might stumble across something that mars the park’s majestic scenery.
On Tuesday, park officials posted a photo on Instagram showing multiple rolls of toilet paper, including scraps of used toilet paper, abandoned near Rancheria Falls. It seems that many campers or hikers bring toilet paper for personal hygiene but neglect to throw it in the trash or pack it out.
“If you’re traveling with toilet paper, pack it too,” the post reads. “You can bring a resealable plastic bag to hide it, or even cover the bag with tape so you don’t have to look at it. .because really, no one wants to stumble upon a surprise package left by an anonymous outdoorsman.
Park officials advise visitors not to bury toilet paper because it can be easily exposed by erosion and weather. Animals can also dig out trash and even use it as nesting material. The material can take up to three years to break down.
Yosemite is one of the most popular national parks in the United States, attracting millions of visitors every year. During a trash cleanup last September, the most common items included cigarette butts, Starbucks cups, energy bar wrappers, water bottles, hair ties, microplastic fragments and receipts.
Trash is also a problem in other national parks, monuments, lakes and recreation areas. Last year, volunteers collected more than 4 tons of trash from Lake Tahoe’s shores and water, much of it left behind by Fourth of July revelers.
The national park official’s post drew dozens of comments, mostly from wilderness enthusiasts who slammed visitors for damaging the park.
“This happens in all parks, beaches, and beautiful places like Yosemite. People need to be respectful and responsible,” one user commented. “This is wrong and shameful. I can go for a walk on the street near my house, or go out for a hike, and there’s trash left everywhere by people who are obviously selfish and don’t care. I bring a bag with me every time I go, just to do my best Use your strength to pick up what others have left behind.
Another person commented that they see this happen “all the time.”
“If you take it in and can’t be bothered to take it out, then don’t leave. The wilderness doesn’t need you,” they wrote.
