When in Rome, DON'T do as the tourists do! Fury as visitors turn ancient landmark into a dumping ground

Published: 04:40 EDT, 5 November 2026 | Updated: 04:40 EDT, 5 November 2026 Rome has been forced to launch a clean-up operation after tourists turned the railings around the historic Roman Forum into a giant dumping ground for thousands of discarded earphones.A sea of plastic cables, resembling an enormous tangled curtain, was left hanging from the railings after visitors ditched the single-use headsets handed out by guided tour groups.The earphones allow tourists to listen to their guides without disturbing others visiting the ancient site – but rather than taking them away, many appear to have simply abandoned them.Pictures of the bizarre eyesore, shared on social media, caught the attention of Rome's city hall, according to Wanted In Rome, prompting waste company Ama to step in. Thousands of colourful disposable audio tour earphones and earbuds are hung up Tourists have left them on fences overlooking the Roman Forum in RomeAma argued that the earphones are classed as electronic waste, so will be disposed of in line with the correct procedures.'These day-tripper tourists have no respect for anything,' said one X user of the growing trend.Meanwhile, another added: 'An idiotic trend. Remove everything and issue hefty fines to anyone who doesn't love and respect this splendid city.'Others described it as 'litter' and 'pollution'.One wrote: 'That's because they hand out one-way (sic) earphones which is an unbelievable waste production.' It's not the first time tourists have been criticised for littering at a tourist attraction. A furious British hiker recently blasted littering tourists after finding 33lb (15kg) of dirty clothes, towels and beer cans dumped at a beauty spot. The city of Rome organised a clean up to clear the siteRachel Sutcliffe, 42, is a seasonal glacier guide in Iceland – but she was left shocked and disgusted by the mess confronting her after a trek to Reykjadalur Hot Springs.The area was strewn with litter, discarded clothing and even graffiti.Determined to do something about it, Rachel spent hours clearing up the rubbish before hauling the heavy load back down the mountain. Rachel fumed: 'I hiked up and then brought down around 33lbs of garbage people had left there.'"Leave no trace" is not in some people's vocabulary. It's a sad sight really. Why do people do it? How were they raised?'