Tourists will take excrement bags into the mountains. TPN wants to fight “wild toilets” on the trails

After the first week of the pilot program of the Tatra National Park (TPN), tourists are eagerly reaching for toilet bags, the use of which is intended to reduce the problem of “wild toilets” along the trails – according to the TPN authorities. They emphasize that many tourists approach the idea with caution.

The pilot distribution of toilet bags is intended to help keep the mountains clean and protect the environment. To begin with, several hundred packages have been prepared, available free of charge at Tourist Information Points and at the entrances to the trails – with the exception of the Lejowa and Chochołowska Valleys. For now, their distribution in shelters is not planned, although this is not ruled out in the future. The first observations of the pilot project, which has been ongoing since the beginning of October, are intended to help assess whether the solution will work in practice and contribute to reducing problematic pollution.

– We do not set a strict deadline for the end of the pilot stage. We observe the interest of tourists, the rate of collection of bags and the opinions of people using it, including cavers and guides. After analyzing these experiences, we will make a decision on the next stage of the project, Szymon Ziobrowski, director of TPN, told PAP.

The pilot is accompanied by information and educational activities. Detailed instructions on how to use the bags can be found on the park's website, and additional social media materials are planned soon. Information is also provided by field staff, volunteers and entry point staff.

The director of the park does not rule out that in the future, having bags may become mandatory in some areas of the Tatra Mountains, if the solution proves successful. – We do not rule out this possibility, but it is too early to say so at this stage. First, we want to assess how the bags work in practice and whether tourists will use them, he noted.

After the pilot is completed, the bags may go on regular sale. According to the TPN management, possible distribution, after the end of the pilot period, would be carried out at least in the same points as currently. The final decision on the further availability model and possible price of the package will be made after the pilot is completed and the collected data is analyzed.

In an interview with PAP, the TPN authorities point out that although they do not conduct a detailed inventory of places where “wild toilets” appear, they are well known to the park's field services: – The number and location of such places are constantly changing – some disappear, others appear in new areas, which is why it is difficult to include them in statistics. However, the problem is noticeable in many mountain regions, said Magdalena Zwojacz-Kozica from TPN.

The assessment of the effectiveness of the pilot is to be based mainly on observations of tourists' behavior in the field. – We focus on observing how eagerly tourists will take toilet bags and what their reactions are. At the same time, we are monitoring the situation on the ground. It will be crucial that the bags are taken away after use and thrown into mixed waste containers, preferably outside the park boundaries. It is unacceptable to leave them in the mountains – this is one of the elements that we will evaluate as part of the summary of the pilot – Zwojacz-Kozica explained to PAP.

The Tatra National Park provides tourists with approximately 275 km of marked hiking trails of varying degrees of difficulty – from popular walking routes to demanding high-mountain trails. The problem of “wild toilets” is not only aesthetic – feces and tissues left in the field penetrate the soil and water, posing a real threat to the environment and water quality in mountain streams. (PAP)

szb/ mmu/