The Mother City is blessed with stunning mountain trails and walking routes that allow us to immerse ourselves in nature. Unfortunately, many leave rubbish behind creating pollution which ruins the beautiful scenery.

Luckily, we have kind and caring residents who want to make a difference. A hiking group, called Trail Blazers, have started up the #FillABag challenge to encourage locals to be kinder to the environment.

“With Covid on the rise and most public places being closed, we have noticed an influx of people who turn to hiking as a means of getting out,” said Trail Blazer’s member, Jihad Owen.

“Not everyone is aware of the impact litter/trash has on our environment, we started the Fill a bag challenge to combat this and also serve as a means of educating people on the importance of conservation and sustainability of the trails.”

To participate, all you need to do is take an extra bag or two along the next time you head out on a hike, and then fill it with the litter you come across along your designated route.

Once you complete your route, post a picture(s) of the litter that you picked up on your route along with the caption: ‘Fill A Bag challenge completed!’

“It’s important for people to join this initiative because it promotes and empowers a social enjoyable approach to hiking whilst minimising its impact on the natural environment,” added Owen.

The hiking group and initiative have proven to be quite popular. Within three weeks, their group has grown to 250 members and they continue to receive daily requests for people to join.

Anyone who would like to get behind this initiative or simply join the group’s beginners hikes can join via the WhatsApp link: http://bit.ly/3r4QHQ8

Pictures: Facebook / Jihad Owen

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