A Mount Everest trekking guide has called for "strict rules" imposed by Nepal's government to combat the "huge problem" of trash on Mount Everest, including banning litterers from all mountains for "a lifetime."
Standing at 29,032 feet, the world's highest mountain is also fast becoming the world's highest dumping ground, according to a recent viral video showing piles of garbage sprawled across a Mount Everest base camp. The video was shared on Instagram by Tenzi Sherpa (@tenzi_sherpa1999), 24, who has been an Everest trekking guide since 2019.
The footage was taken just days before the 70th anniversary of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's ascent of Everest, on May 29, 1953. They were the first people confirmed to have reached the summit.
Climbers Leaving Trash Should Be 'Banned'
Tenzi Sherpa told Newsweek: "I think the government should make strict rules for those who leave trash [on Mount Everest], and a more effective cleaning campaign project should be held."
The latest footage, captured on May 17, showed piles of garbage spread across the base camp. It is used by climbers during their ascent and descent of Everest and is dotted by tents. "The dirtiest camp I have ever seen," Tenzi Sherpa said in a caption shared with the post, which has gained over 91,400 views.
"We can see lots of tents, empty oxygen bottles, steel bowls, spoons, sanitation pads," he wrote, adding that various companies leave behind their cutoff logos and tents.
Tenzi Sherpa told Newsweek that climbers who leave their garbage behind "should be banned for a lifetime" from climbing not just Everest but all other mountains.
"I feel so sad every time," the mountaineer wrote in the video's caption, having witnessed scenes of trash "many times" in his work with expedition groups.
"I would like to request the government to punish companies who leave their trash on [the] mountain. It's a huge problem we [are] all facing," he warned in the post.
The video also went viral in a tweet shared by Supriya Sahu, India's additional chief secretary to the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests for Tamil Nadu's government. She shared the same sentiments about the "heartbreaking" scene on Everest.
"When human beings don't spare even Mount Everest from dumping their garbage and plastic pollution. Truly heartbreaking," Sahu wrote in the post sharing the video, which has received 129,000 views.
'Big Problem' of Everest Garbage Getting 'Worse'
All Everest climbers are required to pay a $4,000 deposit, which will be returned by Nepal's government if you bring back 8 kilograms (around 18 pounds) of garbage on your way back down. This is reportedly the average amount that a single person produces during their climb, according to the National Geographic Society.
A report from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, the local nongovernmental organization responsible for waste management in the Everest trekking area and other parts of Nepal's Khumbu region, said that in the spring 2021 climbing season, the SPCC received 60,039 kilograms of waste (around 132,363 pounds) from expedition groups. This included 55,676 kg (122,744 pounds) from Everest Base Camp.
The total waste across the expedition groups from that season included the following:
- Burnable garbage - 25,866 kg (around 57,024 pounds)
- Human waste - 22,803 kg (around 50,272 pounds)
- Kitchen waste - 6,079 kg (around 13,401 pounds)
- Nonburnable garbage - 5,291 kg (11,664 pounds)
In 2022, the Nepal Army reportedly collected around 34 metric tons (around 74,957 pounds) of waste from Everest and other mountains as part of the Clean Mountain campaign. The total collected waste increased from 10 metric tons (around 22,046 pounds) in 2019 and 27.6 metric tons (around 60,847 pounds) in 2021, according to the army.
In the caption of his video post on Instagram, Tenzi Sherpa noted that the Clean Mountain campaign, which has been ongoing for many years, made "a good effort" to help clean up Everest.
However, he believes these efforts have not been enough. He told Newsweek that the "big problem of garbage on Everest" is getting "worse" and that the government's deposit scheme has not been effective.
"It's gonna be hard" to clean up Everest because climbers and companies "always" leave their trash behind, the mountaineer noted in the caption of his post.
Newsweek has contacted the SPCC and Nepal's Ministry of Forests and Environment and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, as well as the Nepal tourism board, for comment.
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Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
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