Humans Have Left 200 Tons of Trash on the Moon

The Moon, long regarded as a pristine celestial body, is now littered with humanity’s remnants—approximately 200 metric tons (around 400,000 lb) of human-made waste, spanning discarded spacecraft, personal items, and even 96 bags of human waste. This growing legacy raises urgent questions about space stewardship, scientific value, and governance as lunar activity intensifies.

• Estimated garbage: ~200 tons (~181,000 kg) of man-made debris on the lunar surface 

• 70 spacecraft (landers, rovers, boosters, crashed probes)

• 96 bags of human waste (urine, feces, vomit)

• Tools: cameras, flags, golf balls, boots, plaques 

• Key missions: Both crewed (Apollo) and uncrewed missions from the US, USSR/Russia, China, ESA, India, Israel 

• Lack of clean‑up: No one “owns” the moon; debris remains indefinitely due to no weather to erase it 

• Emerging concern: Experts urge lunar environmental guidelines and international clean‑up planning

To conserve weight, astronauts left behind heavy gear—descent stages, tools, film magazines, and even built-in human waste bags. 

Over 50 robotic missions—from Luna 2 to Chang’e, Chandrayaan-2, Beresheet, SMART-1—ended with intentional or accidental crashes, contributing debris. 

Astronauts left behind family photos, memorial plaques, flags, a gold olive branch, and experimental items like golf balls and boots

• Some items have scientific value, such as reflectors still used for lunar ranging.

• Others represent cultural heritage, like the olive branch or Apollo-era flags. 

• With no erosion, the Moon records every human impact as a permanent “lunar anthropocene”.

• As lunar activity increases, debris could hamper new missions and habitat building.

• Landing hazards: Old boosters protruding could endanger future landers.

• Heritage looting: Valuable memorabilia may lure opportunists.

• Scientific contamination: Unchecked debris risks contaminating future samples and sites.

• Atmospheric permanence: Without erosion, materials will remain for millions of years.

“Since the first mission, we’ve been leaving our trash—and no one’s there to clean it up.”
 Chris Impey, University of Arizona 

“This is not just junk—it’s a sign of human presence. We need policies before we industrialize the Moon.”
Space heritage specialist

• Underwater trajectory: Current and planned lunar missions (Artemis, China’s lunar base) must integrate debris management.

• Debris mapping: High-resolution orbital imagery to chart garbage fields around landing zones.

• Legal frameworks: The Outer Space Treaty may need updates to address long-term litter and clean-up duties.

Our lunar legacy is a 200‑ton time capsule—half scientific relic, half trash pile. With lunar settlements and tourism on the horizon, the urgency to manage lunar debris has never been greater. Balancing heritage, science, and environmental stewardship must become part of the next wave of lunar exploration.