Now in its fourth year, the Big Spring Clean became even bigger with new resort Glenshee introduced to the mountain clean-up operation. The initiative forms part of the Ski Club's Respect the Mountain campaign that has been running since 2004. Over 80 litter-picking volunteers showed up at the Scottish resorts of CairnGorm Mountain, Nevis Range and Glenshee and worked hard to clear the rubbish that lingered after an epic winter season.

44 sacks of rubbish were collected across all three resorts by skiers, walkers and dedicated litter pickers. All sorts of unusual items were found amongst the general litter and waste including: a pair of boxer shorts at Cairngorm, a mattress and a 'message in a balloon' at Nevis Range. The balloon was from Milngavie Primary School, over 100 miles away.

Kate Thorman from the Ski Club of Great Britain, who organised and coordinated the event said: "The Big Spring Clean has yet again proved to be a success. We had decent weather, a good turnout of people, and most importantly plenty of litter was collected across all three resorts. There was a real feeling from the local community that they were glad people had come along to do their bit and that they cared about the mountains we all love."

Caroline Stuart-Taylor, Chief Executive of the Ski Club, also commented: "We were thrilled to expand the Big Spring Clean to include Glenshee this year. The operation continues to raise awareness about the damaging effects of dropping litter in a mountain environment. We hope to make a clean sweep of all five Scottish ski areas in the future."

No more butts!

A staggering amount of cigarette butts were also found amongst the Big Spring Clean's haul of litter. The Ski Club of Great Britain hopes their recent launch of a new eco-friendly pocket ashtray will reduce the number of cigarettes dropped by skiers and snowboarders. It's the first ever pocket ashtray to be made from recycled, recyclable and biodegradable materials providing an eco-friendly alternative to the millions of plastic pocket ashtrays that end-up in landfill sites every year.

Ashtrays can be ordered in packs of five from the Ski Club online shop for free with a contribution of £2.50 to cover postage and packaging.

For more information visit www.respectthemountain.com

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