Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions

Ski tourism, winter Olympics and waste implications

• Littering by skiers on the slopes: organic and non/organic waste is thrown along ski runs or from lifts simply because there is no waste disposal nearby (NSAA, 2005). Littering depends to a certain extent on cultural norms and practices, which can differ from region to region. • Waste generated by ski resorts and villages, which includes the whole spectrum of organic and non-organic waste. • The physical infrastructure in ski resorts: the construction of access roads, ski slopes and ski lifts carry with it environmental implications: deforestation, disturbance to wildlife, soil erosion and habitat fragmentation (Rixen and Rolando, 2013). The construction of hotels and buildings result in large amounts of construction waste. • The environmental implications of artificial snow: climate change is a big threat to the ski industry because it is expected to bring warmer winters, reduced snowfall and shorter seasons (for example, Dawson & Scott, 2013; Agrawala, 2007). One solution is the use of snow cannons to create artificial snow. This practice can cause changes in vegetation (Gilaberte-Búrdalo et al., 2014) and uses significant amounts of energy and water, which is often

Ski tourism is a winter activity attracting large numbers of tourists to Europe (particularly the Alps) andNorth America. Ski resorts also exist in other mountainous regions in Central and South Asia, the Caucasus, theMiddle East, South America and China. Many regions are currently developing or expanding their ski industry. China, in particular, has seen a dramatic growth in the number of ski resorts as well as improvements in their quality (Vanat, 2016). Skiing is often developed for mass tourism, which brings with it numerous waste challenges ranging from littering on the slopes, waste produced by ski resorts, to waste implications related to building and maintaining the physical infrastructure on the slopes and in resorts. The literature on the impacts of ski tourismon the environment, and the waste implications and solutions, is largely limited to examples from the European Alps and North America. These include:

SKI STATIONS OUTSIDE OF EUROPE & NORTH AMERICA, 2016

Source: Vanat, L. (2016) 2016 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism – Overview of the key industry figures for ski resorts. 8th edition.

MONGOLIA

JAPAN

RUSSIA

KAZAKHSTAN KYRGYZSTAN UZBEKISTAN TAJIKISTAN

CHINA

PAKISTAN

TURKEY

INDIA

AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND

IRAN

MOROCCO

ISRAEL*

AZERBAIJAN ARMENIA GEORGIA LEBANON

CHILE

30 000 000

Number of skier visits per year

ARGENTINA

10 000 000

Number of Ski Stations: Less than 10 Between 10 and 100

3 000 000 1 000 000 300 000

SOUTH AFRICA LESOTHO

More than 100

European and North American countries

* Ski station located in Israeli-occupied Syrian territory.

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