Taking the green run - Italian ski resort bans plastic

Skiers visit a restaurant in the "plastic free zone" of Pejo 3000, the first ski resort in Italy to ban single-use plastic, in Peio, Trentino, Italy, January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

"Abandon plastic all ye who enter here," reads a sign at the Pejo 3000 ski resort, which says it is the first in Italy to ban all plastic cups, spoons and straws.

Staff said they decided to act after scientists last year discovered evidence that plastic particles had contaminated the nearby Forni glacier.

Plastic straws, bottles, ketchup sachets, cups and even ski passes will be "replaced with other materials such as cellulose paste, paperboard or other materials compatible with nature," said Marco Leo, director of the resort's 'Lo Scoiattolo' mountain lodge.

A "plastic free zone" sign is pictured in front of mountains at Pejo 3000, the first ski resort in Italy to ban single-use plastic, in Peio, Trentino, Italy, January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

Skiers and snowboarders trying the slopes said they liked the new eco-initiative.

"I'd prefer to say stop to plastic in most areas, not only in the ski areas," said Polish tourist Jozek Nowak.

"In Poland, where I'm from, we used to have beautiful winters but now it's not the case," said Kasia Zielinska from Warsaw.

Skiers walk past an "I have a green dream" banner with a picture of Martin Luther King Jr., in the "plastic free zone" of Pejo 3000, the first ski resort in Italy to ban single-use plastic, in Peio, Trentino, Italy, January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

"We don't even see snow anymore and we have to travel to the Alps, so I think it's a very important cause," she added.

Buildings in the valley already use renewable energy produced by three small hydroelectric plants. They are also warmed by wood-chips from local forests.

Glass bottles, paper straws and other items made of sustainable materials are displayed in the "plastic free zone" of Pejo 3000, the first ski resort in Italy to ban single-use plastic, in Peio, Trentino, Italy, January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

(Reporting by Yara Nardi; Writing by Angelo Amante; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Skiers visit a restaurant in the "plastic free zone" of Pejo 3000, the first ski resort in Italy to ban single-use plastic, next to a sign that reads "Join us in dreaming of a sustainable future for our mountains", in Peio, Trentino, Italy, January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

A skier uses a paper straw to drink a 'bombardino', a typical northern Italian drink made of whisky and egg, in the "plastic free zone" of Pejo 3000, the first ski resort in Italy to ban single-use plastic, in Peio, Trentino, Italy, January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

Skiers wait at the cable car entrance of the "plastic free zone" of Pejo 3000, the first ski resort in Italy to ban single-use plastic, in Peio, Trentino, Italy, January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

A skier drinks a glass of aperol spritz with a paper straw in the "plastic free zone" of Pejo 3000, the first ski resort in Italy to ban single-use plastic, in Peio, Trentino, Italy, January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

A skier walks past a banner in the "plastic free zone" of Pejo 3000, the first ski resort in Italy to ban single-use plastic, in Peio, Trentino, Italy, January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

A skier looks at a "plastic free zone" sign at the cable car entrance of Pejo 3000, the first ski resort in Italy to ban single-use plastic, in Peio, Trentino, Italy, January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi