Interesting question. I was able to smell the TSS Earnslaw from miles away last summer (standing near the start of the Greenstone Track, while the TSS Earnslaw was still a tiny dot on the lake), so I can image that there is some impact to the alpine ecosystem. However, I don't think we will save the world if the TSS Earnslaw may no longer sail. In my opinion, other forms of polutions should be tackled first. In New Zealand, for example, you see litter even on tramping tracks in high alpine environments. It hurts seeing a kea walk with a plastic bottle...
Yes the rubbish is sad to see. From my experience it is normally the transient travelers rather than the locals who litter on the hiking trails as they don't have the same education and respect of the land that the people who live there do. This is a problem with increasing numbers of adventure travelers to previously remote places. It makes you wonder what impact adventure photographers like myself are having; if it is positive or negative. Getting people off their TV and computers and into the wild will encourage them to be more aware of the plight of our fragile ecosystems however some of these popular yet fragile places are becoming overun. South island of NZ, Iceland and Tasmania are small native population areas which which have been hardiest hit by this wave of Instagram led tourists and photographers.