0% waste - 100% Harz

Most often, it’s rubbish left behind by forest visitors. This regularly includes empty packaging, glass or plastic bottles, but also cigarette butts, which are particularly harmful to nature. In spring and autumn, there are also more frequent occurrences of green waste and garden refuse that are "disposed of" in the forest under the false assumption that the disposal of organic waste does not harm the forest ecosystem. Especially since the coronavirus pandemic, we have also observed that bulky waste of all kinds is increasingly being dumped illegally in the forest and left there.

The rubbish left behind by people in the forest takes a long time to decompose. This is especially true for glass and plastic. During the decomposition process, various pollutants are released, which seep through the soil into our water resources and contaminate them. This can lead to illnesses. But it’s not only us who drink this water – the animals in the forest do as well, and they can also fall ill.

Animals often can’t recognise these unnatural leftovers and repeatedly mistake them for food. Eating rubbish can sometimes even be fatal. In addition, glass and sharp-edged metal, such as from drink cans, pose a particular risk of injury to both humans and animals.

Still-smouldering cigarette butts can be especially dangerous, as they not only release various pollutants into the environment but can even cause fires in the worst case. Because the climatic changes of recent years have already severely affected the Harz forest, the risk of forest fires is almost permanently high.

The problem with garden waste and green cuttings is that they represent a particular disruption to the forest ecosystem. They can significantly contribute to the spread of unusual plant species in the forest, which in the worst case can displace native species.

The people involved in the project have all been actively working for many years to clean up their areas from the traces left behind by visitors. The main goal is to remove litter from the areas they manage. So, much of the work happens behind the scenes.

With the #NoTrash campaign of the National Park and the cooperation #TakeItBackAgain, the joint efforts are meant to step into the spotlight, to raise awareness among both the stakeholders in the Harz and the visitors. The main focus is on prevention — avoiding litter through awareness — rather than reacting afterwards when rubbish has already been left in nature.

In the National Park, information stations have already been set up to educate about the litter problem. In addition, banners have been placed in busy areas to inform about different types of waste and their often underestimated or even ignored decomposition times and environmental effects. Together with the Junior Rangers, ideas have been developed on how to creatively reuse waste and turn it into something new. Finally, visitors are also encouraged to collect litter during their hikes on a voluntary basis. The necessary equipment is provided for this. As a reward, you can get a special stamp in your Harz Hiking Badge booklet.

As part of the #TakeItBackAgain campaign, two educational videos have already been produced in cooperation with the partners. You can find them here on the website or on the YouTube channel Harz: Magical Mountain World.

So that the question of where to put your rubbish during a hike or bike ride doesn’t even come up, it’s always a good idea to pack a small bag or pouch specifically for this purpose. This way, any rubbish can be safely stored — airtight or waterproof if needed — and taken back with you.

We can’t expect you to also pick up the rubbish others have left behind. Whether you want to do that or not is entirely up to you.

If you’d like to actively help us keep nature clean, you can take part in the #NoTrash campaign of the National Park. Equipped with borrowable litter pickers and rubbish bags, you can collect litter during your hikes. In return, you’ll receive a special Harzer Wandernadel stamp at the end. The pickers and bags are available at the following stations: National Park Visitor Centre Torfhaus, National Park Visitor Centre Brockenhaus (Ranger Station), National Park House Schierke, National Park House Ilsetal, and the Nature Experience Centre HohneHof.

There are mainly two reasons for this. On the one hand, it should be avoided that animals are attracted by full rubbish bins and mistake the rubbish for a food source. On the other hand, bad experiences were made in the past when rubbish bins were placed at resting areas in the forest. Quite often these were misunderstood as an invitation to dispose of all sorts of things, and the bins regularly overflowed. Given the size of the Harz region, we also rely heavily on our volunteers, who dedicate themselves to maintaining the hiking trails and benches. Regularly emptying the bins is time-consuming, sometimes unpleasant, and, since sharp objects or glass shards could be inside, also potentially dangerous. We therefore don’t want to burden our volunteers any further. For these reasons, we refrain from placing rubbish bins near the benches.

When answering this question, it does not only crucially depend on the type and amount of waste, but also on the federal state where the waste was illegally disposed of. The fines catalogues for waste and waste disposal of the individual federal states provide information on this.