A scheme to encourage climbers to bring their waste down from Mount Everest is being scrapped, with Nepalese authorities telling the BBC it has been a failure. Climbers had been required to pay a deposit of $4,000 (£2964), which they would only get back if they brought at least 8kg (18lbs) of waste back down with them. It was hoped it would begin to tackle the rubbish problem on the world's highest peak, which is estimated to be covered in some 50 tonnes of waste.
But after 11 years - and with the rubbish still piling up - the scheme is being shelved because it failed to show a tangible result. Himal Gautam, director at the tourism department, stated that the garbage issue has not been resolved and that the deposit scheme had become an administrative burden.
Although officials indicated that most of the deposit money had been refunded, implying compliance from climbers, it was found that most waste collected was from lower camps, whereas the issue largely remains at higher camps.
Moving forward, authorities are planning to introduce a non-refundable clean-up fee from climbers. This fee will be utilized to set up a checkpoint at Camp Two and deploy mountain rangers for better monitoring. The goal is to handle the rampant issue of waste, including human waste, which contributes to the ecological disaster affecting this iconic site. A new five-year mountain clean-up action plan is also on the table to directly address waste issues on Everest.
But after 11 years - and with the rubbish still piling up - the scheme is being shelved because it failed to show a tangible result. Himal Gautam, director at the tourism department, stated that the garbage issue has not been resolved and that the deposit scheme had become an administrative burden.
Although officials indicated that most of the deposit money had been refunded, implying compliance from climbers, it was found that most waste collected was from lower camps, whereas the issue largely remains at higher camps.
Moving forward, authorities are planning to introduce a non-refundable clean-up fee from climbers. This fee will be utilized to set up a checkpoint at Camp Two and deploy mountain rangers for better monitoring. The goal is to handle the rampant issue of waste, including human waste, which contributes to the ecological disaster affecting this iconic site. A new five-year mountain clean-up action plan is also on the table to directly address waste issues on Everest.
