Holiday islands forced to give out ‘human poo bags’ due to unruly tourists

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When going on holiday most of us want to relax and unwind in beautiful surroundings. Those who aren’t too bothered by hot weather might choose to head to Scandinavia where great fjords, mountains and glaciers cover the land.

Norway is a popular choice as you may see the Northern Lights and will definitely be blown away by the landscape. But, tourism seems to have led to a rather disgusting problem in Lofoten, an archipelago in the north of the country known for its dramatic scenery, reports the Mirror.

So much human waste is being left on the gorgeous slopes that hikers are being handed human poo bags to stop it from polluting the area. That’s right… like a dog bag, but to pick up your own excrement.

READ MORE: Visit Sweden instead of Iceland to see Northern Lights for less money, travel expert says

Every year, thousands of people head to the area to swim in its lakes, climb the steep mountains and generally absorb the incredible landscape. But, doing just that without stepping in someone else’s log or drinking water contaminated with their urine and poo is apparently getting much harder.

Sounds simply divine – not. Scientists at the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research say the incidents are increasing and people are advised to not drink water from lakes, rivers and streams in Ryten and Kvalvika in Lofoten because of the problem. In a gross turn of events, grumpy locals have even found human poo in their gardens!

Not the fertiliser they wanted! A plan to combat the issue was recently discussed, but it’s not as elegant as other tourist solutions.

Rose Keller a researcher at NINA said: "You have to understand people's thought patterns and how they move in nature. Once you know that, we can find out which measures will work and which messages are best suited.”

Rose, an American who lives in Norway, has proposed human waste bags, similar to those begrudgingly deployed by dog owners to clean up after their mucky pups. She took a survey of tourists asking them whether they would use the unusual on-the-go toilets.

A whopping 75% said they would try it if they were free and easily available. Last week signs, a box of bags and a waste container, where the full poo bags must be thrown, were opened to the public in Lofoten.

To begin with, 400 human poo bags have been ordered for the four-week test period when they will be free. After this, you’ll have to pay a fee to do your business in a bag. Delightful.

Rose says she’s even tested the waste bags herself and says they’re easy to use, seal and that they keep bacteria at bay. Around 80% of the bag is biodegradable.

Officials have also implemented a wild camp ban preventing people from pitching tents directly on the beaches in Lofoten, to try and mitigate the effects of tourism.

It's not the first European hotspot to introduce new measures to combat crowds. Thousands of Brits will jet off to gorgeous Italy this summer to explore its beaches, small towns, delicious food and hot weather. But, there’s one major attraction you might want to avoid.

Spiagga Rosa, or Pink Beach, is one of the nation’s most famous natural beauty spots. It has an otherworldly beach with natural pink sand that glows under the sunlight.

However, tourists have been warned that it should only ever be admired from afar, on organised boat trips. It's strictly forbidden to step on the beach, as authorities have said it's now in danger of being destroyed by holidaymakers keen to take a walk there and snap some pictures.

If you do break the rule you could end up shelling out a fortune – which might just ruin your holiday. That's because you’ll be issued with a £427 fine if you step on the beach’s pink sand.

• Holidays

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