Visitors to Caka Salt Lake asked to stop littering

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Visitors to the Caka Salt Lake, a popular destination in China for nature and selfie lovers, have been asked not to litter after the amount of rubbish at the site proved too much for waste collectors to deal with.

Located in Wulan County in northwest China's Qinghai Province, the lake is famous for its shallow water that beautifully reflects the azure sky and floating clouds, earning the nickname "mirror of the sky."

The natural landmark attracts up to 40,000 daily visitors eager to snap the perfect picture. But popularity comes with a price – and garbage is scattered along the pier of the lake.

On Monday, a video emerged showing plastic bags and disposable shoe covers blanketing the wooden platform, which cleaners could not pick up.

On average, 120 tonnes of waste are reportedly collected on daily basis.

The footage prompted Chinese media and the administration of the Caka Salt Lake to appeal to visitors to stop randomly discarding their waste and protect the environment.

Screenshot of the video showing people walking on the pier with the floor covered in plastic bags and shoe covers.

A staff member, identified as Li, told Beijing Youth Daily newspaper that they had hired a professional cleaning company and brought in 180 garbage collectors to keep the lake and its vicinity neat and tidy.

The sheer amount of sightseers, many with the habit of littering, compromised the cleaning efforts, despite shifts lasting up to 16 hours a day.

The management of the tourist spot has been broadcasting via loudspeakers announcements reminding tourists to dispose of their trash in designated areas.

The video was widely shared on Chinese social media, with netizens expressing shock at the situation.

"As a local, I really cannot bear this. The Caka Salt Lake, which has been known as 'the mirror of the sky' for years, is now a sewage ditch and has been polluted," a Weibo user who goes by the name @-Zst-dophinDaaijiege bemoaned.

Screenshot of the video showing people walking on the pier with the floor covered in plastic bags and shoe covers.

Other netizens questioned how strict supervision efforts by the management of the park actually are and whether it has given proper guidance to tourists to protect the site.

The scenic spot has placed a cap on the number of visitors every day, allowing a maximum of 50,000 people in, while offering shoe covers for a deposit of 100 yuan (around 15 US dollars).

Caka Salt Lake. /‍VCG Photo

"We offer environmentally-friendly shoe covers which are reusable. Tourists have to put on shoe covers if they are going to enter the lake. After finishing using, they need to return the shoe covers they have used and then get the 100-yuan deposit back," a member of the customer service team at the Caka Salt Lake told the daily.

According to the park's management, the local government is also helping cracking down on hawkers who sell shoe covers harmful to the lake's water and will dispatch an additional 100 cleaners to help maintain the beauty of the site.