Massive Trash Clean-Up at Avatar-Inspired Chinese Scenic Park

In a bid to preserve a treasured scenic region in China's Hunan province, authorities have removed 51 tonnes of trash that had accumulated in ancient caves. The site, which inspired the fictional world of the film 'Avatar,' was exposed as being used as a makeshift rubbish dump.

The astonishing volume of garbage was uncovered after viral videos on Chinese social media showed the caves stacked with refuse and sewage reaching as high as eight storeys. This prompted swift action to rectify the situation, with the waste cleared from the UNESCO heritage site's caves, dating between 2010 and 2016.

The rubbish had been left as a result of villagers dumping waste due to a previous ban on incineration and the lack of a proper waste disposal system at the time. Authorities are also investigating 12 farms for illegal waste discharge and have suspended four officials. Efforts to penalize those responsible and set up whistleblower channels have been initiated to prevent future ecological harm.

(With inputs from agencies.)