Everest choking on Garbage: Nepal launches plan to it clean up

Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, is threatened not only by global warming, but by a growing litter problem as well. At an altitude of over 8,000 meters, where temperatures drop below -20°C and oxygen is scarce, the mountain is overrun by objects abandoned by climbers and tourists, constituting a real environmental and health emergency.

In recent years, Nepal has tried to remedy the situation by introducing a deposit system: each climber had to pay 4,000 dollars (approx. 3,400 euros) and bring back at least 8 kilos of garbage to recover this sum. However, this strategy proved inadequate. Many bulky items, such as tents and empty oxygen cylinders, were left on the highest slopes, while lighter waste was mainly collected in the lowest camps. As a result, the summit and the most extreme areas remained choked with tons of waste that had accumulated over time.

A new strategy to clean up Everest

Nepal is now adopting a more direct approach, based on the principle of payment by results. As revealed in an interview with the BBC, the refundable deposit has been scrapped and replaced by a mandatory, non-refundable contribution of around $4,000, which will be deposited in a mountain social security fund.

This fund will finance professional clean-up operations carried out by specialized teams and supported by modern technologies, such as drones that can transport up to 15 kilos of waste from the death zone to base camp in a matter of minutes - a task that normally takes a sherpa hours.

Not only waste, but also frozen faeces and chemical sludge threaten the biological safety of Everest and the river basins below, which are vital for over a billion people living downstream. The combination of microplastics, toxins and bacteria clearly shows that pollution on the world's highest mountains is not just a problem for mountaineers, but a global environmental catastrophe.

Stricter rules and mountain protection

In addition to drones, the new rules include a mandatory inventory of all objects accompanying the expedition, including ladders, flags and consumables. Even prayer flags must be biodegradable, putting an end to the era when synthetic materials stay in place for decades and slowly rot.

Climbing Everest remains an expensive undertaking, but the costs are still rising, justified by the need to protect the ecosystem of the world's highest mountain. In doing so, Nepal is sending out a clear message: Everest must no longer be regarded as a dumping ground.

(MP/©GreenMe.it/The Global Nature/Illustration: Sebastian Pena Lambarri for Unsplash)