A mountain tourist site in Sichuan Province has introduced a policy requiring tourists to pick up at least one item of trash to use the public bathroom.
The policy has been heavily criticized on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, with many tourists complaining about this “inhumane” measure that fails to take account of people’s needs.
As the NGO which proposed and implemented the policy, Green River responded with understanding but plans to continue asking visitors to collect trash before using the bathroom.
Yang Xin, the founder and secretary-general of Green River said in an interview that the majority of people are very supportive of the new policy, while making clear that the organization would allow people to use the bathroom before collecting trash, if requested.
“It doesn’t matter if the tourists do not bring back any trash after using the bathroom. Our aim is not to collect people’s trash but to heighten public awareness of protecting the environment and show the public that environmental protection can be easy and achievable for everyone.”
