HOPE FOR FUTURE

However, all is not lost as governments and NGOs are making efforts to clean up the mess. In 2019, the Nepali government launched a campaign to clear 10,000 kilograms of trash from the mountain. They also started a deposit initiative, which has been running since 2014.

Anyone visiting Mt Everest has to pay a 4,000-dollar deposit, and the money is refunded if the person returns with eight kilograms of garbage, the average amount that a single person produces during the climb.

The Mt Everest Biogas Project is also working to find a long-term, sustainable solution to the area’s sanitation problem. They have plans to build a solar- powered system that would turn human waste into fuel for the local communities.

In 2011, Everest Summiteers Association organized by Sherpas teamed up with the Nepalese government and collected 1.5 tons of garbage, which was turned into pieces of art. All were sold for the clean-up fund.

On Indian side some individuals like Pradeep Sangwan of “Clean-up Himalayas” are trying their best.