Nepal Now Requires Mount Everest Climbers to Bring Back Waste

  • 10 years ago
The Tourism Ministry in Nepal recently decided to require climbers bring trash back down with them to the base camp.

As if trekking up Mount Everest wasn’t hard enough work. The Tourism Ministry in Nepal recently decided to require climbers bring trash back down with them to the base camp.

To be precise, those who climb the mountain have to lug down a little over 17.5 pounds of discarded rubbish. The rule goes into effect this Spring during the peak climbing season.

"Officials say these new regulations are designed to cleanup the world's highest peak. They have even threatened to take legal action against climbers who fail to comply with the new rule". [Press TV]

The belief is that Mount Everest has approximately 50 tons of waste strewn about. Tossed bottles, ropes, clothes, ladders and even oxygen cylinders are only a few examples.

It seems the effort couldn’t have come at a better time, as the popularity of the Earth’s highest mountain is booming. Presently, climbers reportedly wait in a two hour line to reach the top.

The joint secretary at Nepal's Tourism Ministry detailed the goal of the trash hauling rule, stating ‘This will not only help make the peak clean but also help to preserve the glory of Nepal…. If it succeeds, we will prepare a law to further the campaign and expand it to other mountains.’

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