A ski resort in Italy is striving to become the first in Europe to ban plastic after finding out about the nearby glacier that contained a substantial amount of microplastics.
The small resort in Val di Sole, Trentino, which attracted 137,000 skiers last winter, has three mountain cabins that no longer provide plastic items. In December 2019, when the slopes open at Pejo 3000, the use of plastic straws, bags, bottles, cutlery, plates, cups, and condiment sachets was banned. Other measures to eliminate plastics will be indorsed over the season.
The Val di Sole tourist board’s general director, Fabio Sacco, said:
This is the first part of a project intended to make the ski area of Pejo 3000 the most sustainable in the Alps.
The decision to ban plastic was prompted in April when the resort heard about a study of a glacier that was found hosting a significant amount of plastic. Scientists from the University of Milan-Bicocca and the University of Milan discovered that the surface of Forni Glacier, contained 131-162 million plastic particles, including polyethylene and fibers. Forni Glacier is one of the most massive valley glaciers in the Italian Alps. The scientists suspect that since the Stelvio National Park forms part of the Forni Glacier, the park visitors’ clothing and equipment may have traveled to the glacier by wind currents.
Glaciologist, Christian Casarotto, from Trento’s Muse Natural Sciences Museum, warned:
If plastic products reach the mountains, they will remain there for a long period of time, even decades, and they will then transform into environmental and health damage, and enter into the food chain. Projects that aim to limit the use of plastic products are urgently needed. They should be applied throughout the Alps.
The Pejo 3000 resort, which has seven ski lifts and 12 miles of runs, is currently removing plastic covers from its one-day ski passes, while more extended periods of stay are laminated and can be recharged. The facility also plans to work towards eliminating all products that produce microplastics, improving waste collection, energy use, and recycling.
