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, told the BBC that not only had the garbage issue not gone away, but the deposit scheme itself had become an administrative burden. Tourism ministry and mountaineering department officials stated that most of the deposit money had been refunded over the years, but climbers tended to only bring back waste from lower camps, leaving higher camps in a worse state.
The revised initiative will now involve a non-refundable clean-up fee to create a fund for better waste management, particularly to ensure rangers monitor the situation in higher elevations. The ministry of tourism is keen to address the unsustainable practices that have arisen from increased climber traffic each year, averaging around 400 climbers annually, alongside their support staff. This new plan aims to implement effective measures for waste management to preserve the fragile environment of Mount 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, told the BBC that not only had the garbage issue not gone away, but the deposit scheme itself had become an administrative burden. Tourism ministry and mountaineering department officials stated that most of the deposit money had been refunded over the years, but climbers tended to only bring back waste from lower camps, leaving higher camps in a worse state.
The revised initiative will now involve a non-refundable clean-up fee to create a fund for better waste management, particularly to ensure rangers monitor the situation in higher elevations. The ministry of tourism is keen to address the unsustainable practices that have arisen from increased climber traffic each year, averaging around 400 climbers annually, alongside their support staff. This new plan aims to implement effective measures for waste management to preserve the fragile environment of Mount Everest.
