È«Ãñ²ÊƱ

My country:
My country:

Search

Close
Image of Yr Wyddfa landscape

Bangor Community Fund supports sustainability summit on Yr Wyddfa

Yr Wyddfa is Wales’ busiest peak. Hundreds of thousands reach the summit each year. Unfortunately, like many popular destinations in Eryri National Park, the mountain has become victim to plastic pollution. For example, a scientific study by of soil samples estimated that up to 5% of Yr Wyddfa’s summit is polluted by micro-plastics. Likewise, this year alone, volunteers have removed around 1.3 tonnes of rubbish from the mountain – equivalent to 700 refuse sacks.

In response to this, (ENPA) has been working with È«Ãñ²ÊƱ academics to find solutions to these challenges, alongside appointing a ‘plastic free’ officer who was tasked to work with a coalition of the willing to remove non-reusable plastics from the mountain.

One of the key initiatives involves collaboration with Professor John Parkinson, a leading expert in behavioural psychology, and his MSc Psychology students. Together, they have undertaken a series of projects aimed at understanding and changing the littering behaviour of visitors to the national park.

In an initial project which featured on , Professor Parkinson revealed that littering wasn’t simply a matter of people not caring. 

We ran an initial study which sought to identify the key drivers for littering behaviour. We might assume it is a motivational issue: people just don’t care, but actually an important factor was that some visitors didn’t really appreciate what was expected of them in the park. They hadn’t planned well in advance for their visit, such as bringing a waste bag to take home litter themselves. The ultimate aim of the research is to find ways to create a stronger sense of personal responsibility in the national park such that visitors take care of themselves and others – leaving ‘no trace’ and even collecting litter that others have dropped.

Professor John Parkinson
Image of Professor John Parkinson
Professor John Parkinson

The findings led to the design of a behaviour change study, where student researchers engaged directly with walkers at the base of Yr Wyddfa. Using a carefully developed ‘behaviourally informed’ script, the students aimed to boost intrinsic motivation and promote environmentally responsible actions during the walkers’ ascent. The early results were highly promising, with evidence suggesting a positive shift in attitudes and behaviours. The full research is currently being prepared for academic publication.

The culmination of all this work was the first Eryri COPA1 summit on Yr Wyddfa where teams of children from local secondary schools developed projects to tackle plastics and plastic waste. The event drew support from high-profile stakeholders and community figures, including Welsh singer and children’s poet laureate Casi Wyn, Owen Derbyshire, Head of Keep Wales Tidy, and Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd.