Even the most remote corners of the Earth aren’t safe from humanity’s trash. Garbage has been piling up on Mount Everest since the commercial climbing boom of the 1980s, and one of Nepal’s longest-running cleanup efforts has apparently been deemed a failure.
Since 2014, Nepal has required Everest climbers to carry at least 18 pounds (8 kilograms) of trash back down the mountain with them or forfeit a $4,000 deposit. Officials hoped this would put a dent in the tens of tons of garbage that litters Everest’s South Col, the last camp before the summit. Now, they’re scrapping the scheme.
Himal Gautam, director of Nepal’s tourism department, told the BBC that Everest’s garbage problem has “not gone away” after more than a decade. What’s more, the waste deposit scheme itself has “become an administrative burden,” he said. Fortunately, Nepalese authorities have a plan to improve the program.
Trash falling through the cracks
The waste deposit is one of several programs aimed at curbing Everest’s trash problem.
Some have been more successful than others, such as those coordinated by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, a waste‑management NGO for the Everest region. During the spring 2024 climbing season, the SPCC collected 85 tons of waste from Everest base camp while expedition teams brought another 10 tons down from higher camps, according to The Kathmandu Post.
It’s those higher camps that have proven most difficult to clean up—an estimated 40 to 50 tons of garbage still litter the South Col. One of the key problems with the waste deposit program is that climbers tend only to remove waste from the lower camps, Tshering Sherpa, chief executive officer of the SPCC, told the BBC.
Another issue is that climbers are not required to bring back more trash than they leave behind. According to Sherpa, the average climber produces up to 26 lbs (12 kg) of garbage during their time on the mountain.
But most importantly, there is a serious need for more waste monitoring at higher altitudes. Beyond a checkpoint above the Khumbu Icefall—a treacherous, constantly shifting glacier section of the South Col route—there is “no monitoring of what climbers are doing,” Sherpa said.
Over the decades, Everest’s waste pollution has contaminated water sources, introduced microplastics and toxic chemicals to the once-pristine landscape, and created biohazards for locals and climbers—particularly due to discarded human excrement. Nepalese officials hope that revising the waste deposit rule will make a difference.
Doubling down on sustainability
Going forward, climbers will have to pay a non-refundable cleanup fee (likely of $4,000) to establish a permanent mountain welfare fund dedicated to conservation and waste management, The Kathmandu Post reports.
The proceeds will fund multiple projects, including the construction of garbage collection and processing facilities at base camp or nearby and the deployment of rangers who will ensure climbers bring their trash down from higher parts of the mountain.
This revised program will be part of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation’s newly announced five-year mountain cleanup action plan. This initiative also includes a feasibility study to relocate Everest Base Camp amid mounting environmental concerns.
While Nepal may be throwing in the towel on its current waste deposit program, it’s clear that the government is not giving up on Everest. As a growing number climbers flock to this iconic destination year after year, tackling the mountain’s waste problem will only become more challenging.
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