Team of volunteers pick up a dozen bags of rubbish on Arthur's Seat and Calton Hill clean-up

A group of 16 volunteers picked up more than 70kg of litter from Arthur’s Seat and Calton Hill last week as part of a national campaign to keep the UK’s hills and mountains clean.

The community litter-pick was organised by Nat-West Edinburgh employee Leon Harrower, who was joined by 12 of his work colleagues as well as representatives of the Real3Peaks Challenge, which was set up in 2013 to clean-up Britain’s three highest mountains – Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon – and has grown to cover other hills across the country.

Speaking about the clean-ups on Calton Hill and Arthur’s Seat, Leon said: “We had a great time. It was a good team building exercise for us to get together and it gives something back to the community, which was the intention.

"We must have filled about a dozen litter bags, spending around four and a half hours at the two hills. The majority of the time was on Calton Hill, then we walked up and around Arthur’s Seat.

Nat-West employees and Real3Peaks Challenge representatives on Calton Hill picking up litter.

"I think Calton Hill was worse because there is more chance of people stopping maybe for something to eat, while on Arthur’s Seat most people are exercising.”

Leon is now hoping that he and his work colleagues can do more good in the future on similar projects.

He said: “It was a really good experience and it felt great to get together as a team. I would encourage others to do the same for team building. We had a real sense of accomplishment, turning out all those bags of litter at the end. We managed to to recycle a significant chunk of it.

"I think we will do more of this type of activity in the future. It was good to tag this onto the Real3Peaks Challenge.

The 16 volunteers picked up an unbelievable 70+kg of litter.

"As a team at the bank we get to do volunteer days so I’m encouraged to do more clean-ups like this, maybe more general ones like on beaches, but also again for the Real3Peaks Challenge.”

Stuart Mapp, the team co-ordinator at the Edinburgh clean-ups for the Real3Peaks challenge, added: “Leon turned up with 12 volunteers from his work and joined me and two others from Real3Peaks.

"The litter was quite bad on Calton Hill. At first you couldn’t tell how much litter there was but hidden in the long grass and spread about there was lots. A lot more than expected. But the place is a lot cleaner now.

"It was a successful day and great to be in two of Edinburgh’s key spots. Hopefully these clean-ups have made these places look a little better for the tourists and locals.

Speaking about the possibility of further clean-ups, Stuart added: "We might do the seven hills of Edinburgh next. I’m not saying all these places have rubbish problems, but near the car parks you tend to find the most rubbish.

"For example, the Pentlands are nice and clean on the surface but there is litter there when you have a good look.

"Littering is not something new, it’s a problem we have had for a long time.”