Pick Up Tour
The environmental project at Merano 2000
Did you know that a banana peel takes 1 to 2 years to decompose completely, whereas a plastic bottle takes 100 to 5,000 years?
Meran 2000 Bergbahnen AG and the Hafling-Vöran-Meran2000 Tourist Board are constantly striving to keep the mountains clean. This is why the ‘KLAUB AU’ project was launched. The name derives from the South Tyrolean dialect word ‘aufklauben’ (to pick up) and is intended as a call to action to collect litter. The awareness campaign is being carried out in collaboration with young people from the Bolzano-Land Youth Service.
From Monday 27 July to Friday 31 July 2026, the young people will once again be out and about in Merano 2000 to collect litter left behind.
The initiative also encourages all other visitors to get involved: equipped with sustainable gloves and a bin bag, you can take part in the clean-up yourself on Tuesday 28 July 2026. Once your bag is full, you can swap it for a little surprise.
Key figures
Figures from the latest litter-picking campaign
5 days
35 young people
30 kg of litter collected
560 kilometres walked
DECAY PROCESS
True mountain lovers and conservationists naturally take their rubbish back down to the valley with them. Nevertheless, environmental pollution in the mountains remains a problem. This is particularly true above the tree line, where the cold and lack of humus mean that waste decomposes very slowly. Even seemingly harmless items such as tissues can persist there for decades and disrupt the delicate balance of alpine nature.
Some examples
Banana peel 1–2 years Tin can 50–500 years
Orange peel 1–3 years Nylon bag 60–200 years
Paper handkerchief 1–5 years Aluminium foil 200–400 years
Cigarette butt 2–7 years Baby nappy 500–800 years
Chewing gum 3–5 years Plastic bottle 100–5,000 years
DOG WASTE BAGS BELONG IN THE BIN
As well as litter, dog poo bags piling up along the paths are also a major problem. Nylon takes over 60 years to decompose in the natural environment. It is particularly important to pick up dog poo, as it can become a source of infection for cows through the parasite Neospora caninum, which may lead to miscarriages and deformities in calves. Dog owners do their best to clear up after their pets, but they often struggle with disposing of the bags, which they are reluctant to stow away in their rucksacks and so end up leaving by the side of the path. As soon as a single bag is left there, it quickly becomes a gathering point for other bags.
The bins at the valley and mountain stations of the ski lifts were upgraded last year, and additional waste bins have been installed, which are emptied regularly. Unfortunately, bins cannot be placed in remote locations, as these quickly turn into rubbish dumps and feeding grounds for wild animals.