Overview
The world’s tallest Mountain, the mighty Mount Everest, stands as an ultimate dream for many adventurers and climbers. However, behind such a glorifying wonder, hides a hidden truth: trash on Mount Everest, one of the major environmental issues in the Himalayan ranges. Every year, with hundreds of climbers attempting to summit Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak faces a crisis in managing waste.
Mount Everest
Situated at an altitude of 8,848.86 m above sea level, Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. It is located in the Everest region, on the border of Nepal and Tibet, China. Every year, thousands of people trek to Everest Base Camp just to observe a close glimpse of the white giant. Many of them even try to conquer the summit.
Why Is There So Much Trash on Mt Everest?
The increasing popularity among climbers to summit the world’s tallest peak attracts people from all around the globe towards Mt Everest. With an increasing number of climbers towards the mighty Everest, it brings a large amount of trash with it. And, there’s no solution for the trash.
1. Rising Number of Climbers
Every year, between 600 to over 1,000 climbers attempt to climb Mt Everest. During their expedition, they carry a load of equipment and resources, such as food, oxygen bottles, gear, and other equipment with them. Much of this gets abandoned by the climbers at the top.
2. Extreme Altitude and Harsh Conditions
As you get closer to the top of Everest, especially after crossing the death zone, survival is the most important priority. While returning carrying the heavy trash by oneself is nearly impossible. So, most of the trash is left behind.
3. Lack of Waste Management
Above the Everest Base Camp, other camps lack a disposal system. There’s no system to collect the trash, so the trash that is left behind remains there forever, unless removed physically.
4. Frozen Legacy from the First Mount Everest Expedition
Decades of expeditions since the first Mount Everest expedition in 1953 have left tons of garbage, some buried in ice and snow. And what compounds the problem is the harsh cold, which does not even let biodegradable garbage, such as food, paper, or human feces, rot naturally. What may take months to rot further down can remain preserved for decades on Everest.
5. High Cost and Difficulty to Remove Mount Everest Trash
Located at such a high altitude, and due to extreme cold, the project to clean the Mount Everest trash is very costly. Millions of dollars need to be invested in order to clean the trash on Mt Everest.
How Much Trash Is Actually on Mount Everest?
Mount Everest covers about 30 to 50 metric tons of waste, including human waste, empty oxygen bottles, left tents, and plastics. It is estimated that each climber left about 8 kg of trash on their Mount Everest expedition. Reports suggest that every year, more than 8,000 kg of waste is left on Mt Everest.
From Everest Base Camp to the South Col, trash can be found everywhere during the Mount Everest expedition. Some of the most common types of Mount Everest trash are:
- Abandoned oxygen bottles.
- Broken climbing gear (ropes, crampons, ladders).
- Ripped tents and tattered tarps.
- Plastic wrapping from food and packaging.
- Beer cans, glass, and aluminum cans.
- Human waste, typically frozen and preserved due to the freezing weather.
Impact of Trash on Mt Everest
The garbage on Mt Everest has far-reaching impacts, from ecological degradation to cultural aspects. Here are the key effects:
- Ecological Degradation – Plastics, metal, and frozen trash pollute the fragile alpine ecosystem and contaminate snowmelt.
- Health Risks – Human waste left on the mountain seeps into water sources, posing a threat to climbers and villagers.
- Danger to Wildlife – Birds and animals risk consuming poisonous materials like plastics and wrappers.
- Cultural Disrespect – Litter on a sacred mountain like Sagarmatha/Chomolungma diminishes its spiritual value for local people.
- Tourism Image – Media coverage of Everest litter damages the image of Nepal and discourages environmentally conscious tourists.
Efforts to Clean Up Mount Everest Trash
Despite all the obstacles, various projects have been launched to address the problem of trash on Mt Everest. These efforts show that there is hope for the future by working together with governments, NGOs, and climbers:
- Government Clean-Up Campaigns – Nepal and China organize annual Everest clean-up campaigns, collecting tons of garbage from base camp to high altitudes.
- Eco Everest Expedition – Started in 2008, this campaign encourages climbers to remove their rubbish and even bring back old garbage left behind by earlier expeditions.
- Deposit and Refund System – Climbers deposit money before climbing, which is refunded only if they come back with a quantity of rubbish that is mandatory.
- Community and NGO Involvement – Sherpa communities and local NGOs are crucial in clearing the waste and raising awareness.
- Everest Garbage Art – Certain projects recycle collected waste into art, raising awareness regarding the pollution at the top of the world’s highest peak.
- International Collaboration – International environmental organizations help with the Everest clean-up through funding support and raising awareness.
Final Thoughts
Mount Everest, the Earth’s highest point, is facing a mounting issue of uncontrolled trash, threatening its ecosystem, the health of indigenous people, and cultural assets. Government intervention and cleaning drives have proved unsuccessful in checking the menace, and long-term responsibility is required.
Climbers should dispose of their trash, stricter enforcement needs to be handed out, and environmentally friendly mountaineering needs to be mainstreamed.
Protecting Everest is not really saving a mountain, but a question of respecting nature, respecting culture, and proving that human achievement can coexist with environmental protection. It could all go terribly wrong and make the mountain the world’s highest trash can.
FAQs
1. Is there garbage on Mount Everest?
Yes, there are tons of garbage on Mount Everest, including human waste, empty oxygen bottles, abandoned tents, and food leftovers.
2. Why is there so much trash on top of Mount Everest?
There is so much trash on Mt Everest because carrying the trash back from Everest is very difficult for climbers. Especially when it comes to life and death situations, and executing projects to clean Mount Everest trash is very costly.
3. Is Sleeping Beauty’s Body still on Everest?
Yes, the body of Francys Arsentiev, also known as Sleep Beauty, is still in the Everest; however, it is no longer visible, as climber Ian Woodall and his team in their Mount Everest expedition in 2007 conducted a private mission to bury her body in snow.
4. Who cleans up Mount Everest?
Government, various NGOs, and the local community clean up Mount Everest’s trash.
5. How much trash is left on Everest each year?
The report says that more than 30 metric tons of trash on Mt Everest is left behind.
6. What do people leave at the top of Mount Everest?
Due to the high altitude and extreme climate, survival is more important, so bringing back the trash is impossible for the climbers.