Nepal Launches Mount Everest Cleanup Campaign to Remove Trash and Recover Bodies

As the 2024 Himalayan mountaineering season commences, Nepal embarks on a monumental endeavor to clear Mount Everest of accumulated waste and retrieve the bodies of fallen climbers.

Initiated in 2019, the Mountain Cleanup Campaign, spearheaded by the Nepali army in collaboration with multinational brand Unilever, has already extracted a staggering 110 tons of refuse from the iconic peak by 2023.

Undertaking this year’s mission, twelve military personnel accompanied by eighteen Sherpas are set to reach Everest Base Camp on April 14th to initiate cleanup operations. Alongside removing an estimated ten tons of debris, the team aims to retrieve the remains of five climbers who lost their lives while attempting the summit.

The grim reality of Everest’s perilous terrain is evident in the statistics: twelve climbers met their demise in 2023, with an additional five still officially unaccounted for. With Nepal issuing a record-breaking 478 hiking permits last year, overcrowding and environmental degradation have emerged as pressing concerns.

In response, Nepal implements stringent measures for the 2024 climbing season.Climbers are mandated to utilize government-distributed waste management systems, including ‘poop bags,’ to collect and transport their waste back from higher camps. Diwas Pokhrel, first vice president of Everest Summiteers Association, underscores the necessity, revealing that each climber produces 250 grams of waste daily during the ascent.

Additionally,all climbers are outfitted with tracking chips, enhancing search and rescue capabilities in the rugged terrain. These combined efforts signify Nepal’s commitment to safeguarding Everest’s natural beauty and preserving the sanctity of one of the world’s most treacherous peaks.