Wang Xiaobo runs an outdoor gear store near the Provincial Stadium. As an avid outdoor enthusiast, he often notices that after people go camping in the mountains, they leave their used camping gas canisters scattered around, which he finds very unsettling. Five years ago, he implemented a policy in his store: any hiker who brings in five discarded outdoor gas canisters can exchange them for a new one. However, yesterday, the appearance of 997 discarded canisters surprised Wang Xiaobo—these were all collected from the mountains by villagers.
One year’s collection from the mountains
Two thousand discarded camping gas canisters
Yesterday at noon, reporters arrived at the Green Ant Outdoor Store located at the northwest corner of the Provincial Stadium. Mr. Cheng, who came from Meixian County, was unloading several sacks from his car. The sacks contained discarded camping gas canisters he had collected over the past year along the Taibai Mountain and Aoshan Mountain routes.
“I’ve been collecting gas canisters in the mountains for five years now. This is my eighth time coming to exchange them, but this time the quantity is the largest—nearly a thousand. There are still about a thousand more left at home,” said Mr. Cheng. Although he had filled his van to capacity, he only brought half of the total this trip.
The discarded canisters were then laid out on the ground, presenting a striking sight. “Sometimes, at the Aotai trekking campsites, you can pick up dozens of these canisters at once. As someone who has lived in the mountains all their life, it’s quite distressing to see,” said Mr. Cheng.
According to several villagers who accompanied Mr. Cheng, aside from their daily farming and small family businesses, they go into the mountains almost every week to collect canisters. This effort stems purely from an emotional connection to the mountains. “Besides the canisters, we also gather a lot of trash. Most of the trash we bury on-site, but the canisters we bring here to exchange for things like hiking boots, so we can keep going back into the mountains. At our frequency, we wear out at least three pairs of outdoor shoes a year,” said Xiao Ma, one of the villagers.
Hikers: We used to discard them too
Now, we deeply regret it
A sign in the window of the outdoor store reads: “Exchange 5 empty canisters for 1 new gas canister.” According to Xu Fumin, a staff member at the store, they have been running this old camping gas canister exchange program for five years. “We always hope that hikers won’t leave any pollution in the mountains. So when people go into the mountains to collect old canisters and bring them back, we exchange them for new ones, promoting environmental awareness through our actions.”
It is understood that over the past five years, they have collected nearly 30,000 empty, discarded camping gas canisters. These canisters, once collected, cannot be reused and are either used for store decoration or disposed of in bulk. A new camping gas canister costs 13 yuan, and the store has spent tens of thousands of yuan on this initiative.
“Now, hikers often come to exchange empty canisters for new ones, but the quantities individuals bring are usually small. For ‘professional’ collectors like Mr. Cheng—who don’t need many new canisters in return—we give them outdoor gear like hiking boots instead,” said Xu Fumin. “More and more people are coming to exchange canisters now. Even though it costs us a bit, we feel it’s worth it.”
Mr. Zhu, an outdoor enthusiast who was passing by, told reporters that when he first started doing outdoor treks a few years ago, he also left some canisters at campsites. “Back then, I was so tired I didn’t even want to carry my backpack. I would just throw away the used canisters. Seeing so many canisters piled up here today really shocked me. I realize now that casually discarding them like that wasn’t right.” Since a year ago, Mr. Zhu has stopped littering with camping gas canisters, bringing them all back to Xi’an to dispose of properly.
Small gas canisters, carelessly discarded
Pose many risks
Wang Xiaobo, the owner of the outdoor store, explained that camping gas canisters are essential equipment for outdoor treks and similar activities, mainly used for cooking. A standard canister can burn for one to two hours, but because they can’t be reused, many hikers simply discard them on-site after use.
Among the discarded canisters collected by Mr. Cheng, reporters saw some that were severely corroded on the outside. “Generally, these canisters contain residues of propane or isobutane. Even if the canister body can decompose in the outdoors, if the canister cracks, these harmful substances will definitely seep into the soil or nearby rivers, polluting the environment,” said Wang Xiaobo. “Some discarded canisters can even explode under high temperatures or direct sunlight. If someone happens to be nearby when that happens, it could be very dangerous.”
Mr. Cheng also mentioned that he has even seen abandoned canisters still burning in the mountains. “Maybe the person who left them before didn’t extinguish the flame, and the remaining gas kept it burning. But leaving it like that in the wild—if a fire starts, what do you do?”
At the outdoor store, reporters saw a decorative wall made from discarded canisters. “We’ll keep running this activity, and we hope everyone’s awareness can truly change,” said Wang Xiaobo.