Our pieces of advice to be a good hiker

Every piece of rubbish dumped in the countryside pollutes the ground and water, incredibly precious mountain resources. It takes, for example, 6 months for fruit peelings to disintegrate, 5 years for chewing gum and 15 years for a cigarette butt. It takes 450 years for packaging material, 500 years for a can, 1,000 years for a plastic bottle and, finally, 4,000 years for a glass bottle! Every bit of rubbish will have a direct impact on the mountain's flora and fauna, creating pollution and endangering species.

In the mountains, you can find all types of rubbish left by hikers and skiers : cigarette butts, cereal bar wrappers, cans and bottles - a huge amount of rubbish that is best kept in your bag and then disposed of when back home.

When hiking in the countryside, keep your rubbish in your rucksack. Small preventative actions are the most effective. Once you're at home, sort out your rubbish.

In addition to rubbish, the flora and fauna can also be adversely affected by human presence. Keep to the signposted paths and slopes, ensure your dogs are on a lead and keep your distance when you meet any animals.

Open to all, young people, families, groups of friends, free spirits... Anyone can organize their own hiking session to help collect waste on our trails. A new website has been published where you can list the session you are organizing, or even more simply, participate in one of the already existing events, sharing photos, videos, etc. Check out www.mountain-days.org and enjoy!