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Hats, pencils and baby pacifiers: Yellowstone staffers retrieve record amount of trash from hot springs

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Cite

Nowell, C. (2026, September 22). Hats, pencils and baby pacifiers: Yellowstone staffers retrieve record amount of trash from hot springs. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/22/yellowstone-trash-record

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Guardian · collected 2026-09-22 · by Cecilia Nowell

Quick Summary

Yellowstone National Park staff have removed 20,100 pieces of trash from hydrothermal areas this year, setting a record. Common items include hats, camera lens caps, hair ties, pencils, sunglasses, hotel key cards, and baby pacifiers. Margery Price from the Yellowstone Geology Program notes that high winds contribute to the litter problem, along with visitors treating hot springs like wishing wells; over $18 in coins were collected last summer. Staff emphasize that all trash must be removed to prevent damage to hydrothermal features, recalling how Morning Glory Pool was once nicknamed “trash can.”
Written by AI on 2026-09-22, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

As of early September 2026, Yellowstone National Park's geology team removed a record-setting 20,100 pieces of trash, including over 5,000 rocks and sticks and more than 280 hats, from hydrothermal areas such as the Old Faithful geyser. This cleanup effort marks a 50% increase compared to the previous year. The surge in litter coincides with an exceptionally busy tourist season: between January and July 2026, over 2.64 million visitors entered the park, nearly matching its most-visited year in 2021.

Among the items collected were camera lens caps (54), hair ties (47), pacifiers (17), hotel key cards (20), and sunglasses (36). Margery Price, a physical science technician with the park’s Geology Program, emphasized that foreign material can damage or permanently alter hydrothermal features by clogging water supplies, blocking runoff channels, or introducing harmful chemicals and sediment. The high winds in Yellowstone contribute to this problem by blowing away lighter items like tissues, maps, food wrappers, and even sunglasses and hats into sensitive areas.

Written for “Yellowstone Trash Removal Record” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Yellowstone Trash Removal Record
Environment · 3 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
280 hats, 36 sunglasses: Record-breaking 20,00 pieces of trash haul from Yellowstone National Park this year so far Same event
Times of India
Hedges 2 of 25 claims Outlet record 59/100
Old filth-ful! Yellowstone geysers gushing up record amounts of tourists’ trash Different event
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe similar issues but focus on different specifics; Article A mentions unique items like AirPods and Invisalign retainers, while Article B lists common items like hats and pencils.”
Yellowstone rangers remove 20,100 pieces of trash from geothermal areas in 2026 Same event
Times of India
Hedges 4 of 32 claims Outlet record 59/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
14
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 14 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Environment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-22 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Cecilia Nowell
15 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 15 articles by Cecilia Nowell →

Topics

Invisalign Yellowstone Geology the US Geological Survey the United States the Yellowstone National Park Geology Program

Subjects

Invisalign ORG · 1× Margery Price PERSON · 1× Price PERSON · 1× Yellowstone Geology ORG · 1× the US Geological Survey ORG · 1× the United States GPE · 1× the Yellowstone National Park Geology Program ORG · 1×

Narrative

Foreign material of any kind can damage or permanently alter a hydrothermal feature, whether from clogging its water supply, blocking or diverting its runoff channel, or polluting it with chemicals and sediment,” Price said.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-22
2026-09-22 · The Guardian
Hats, pencils and baby pacifiers: Yellowstone staffers retrieve record amount of trash from hot springs · assertive framing

Claims (14 extracted, 0 hedged)

Hold on to your hats – Yellowstone national park staffers have removed a record-setting 20,100 pieces of trash from hydrothermal areas around the geyser-filled park so far this year asserted
staffers → hold → park
The most commonly found items include 280 hats, 54 camera lens caps, 47 hair ties, 42 pencils, 36 pairs of sunglasses, 20 hotel key cards and 17 baby pacifiers. asserted
items → find → sunglasses
“The issue is made worse by the park’s high winds: unexpected gusts easily blow away tissues, maps, food wrappers, and even heavier items like sunglasses and hats!” asserted
gusts → make → sunglasses
Margery Price, a physical science technician with the Yellowstone National Park Geology Program, said in a blog post for the US Geological Survey. asserted
Price → say → Survey
That – and park visitors treating the hot springs like wishing wells. asserted
visitors → treat → wells
The Yellowstone Geology team collected more than $18 in coins during summer 2026, in currencies ranging from the dollar and pesos to yen and euros. asserted
team → collect → yen
With more than 4.5 million visitors annually, Yellowstone is one of the most highly visited national parks in the United States. asserted
Yellowstone → visit → States
“No matter the type of debris, it needs to be removed. asserted
it → need → debris
Foreign material of any kind can damage or permanently alter a hydrothermal feature, whether from clogging its water supply, blocking or diverting its runoff channel, or polluting it with chemicals and sediment,” Price said. asserted
Price → damage → chemicals
In the 1900s, the park’s Morning Glory Pool famously changed color from all of the trash visitors were leaving in the pool, which was nicknamed “trash can” by the 1950s. asserted
which → change → 1950s
This year, the park’s geological staff retrieved six Invisalign retainers, eight mini race cars, three golf tees, and fifteen fake nails. asserted
staff → retrieve → retainers
While the park’s staff understands that much of that trash gets swept away by accident, they encourage visitors to “stash your trash” when visiting Yellowstone. asserted
they → understand → Yellowstone
That is, packing wrappers, tissues and even hats carefully away in windy areas. asserted
That → pack → areas
At the end of the season though, they’ll be sure to wash and donate all of the hats left behind. asserted
they → wash → hats
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