Even as you read this, hordes of tourists may be making their way back to the city from hill stations and getaways after celebrating  New Year. Others may stay a while longer, enjoying their little break and revving up for the year ahead.

This paper featured a news report about visitors to the hill station of Matheran. These regular visitors claimed they were heartened at the sight of schoolkids cleaning trash discarded by tourists at scenic points. While that was uplifting, there was a downside too. The mounds of trash left behind by visitors and even tourists on longer stays have been increasing at these getaways.