Every year, thousands of tourists climb Mount Everest and abandon tents, leftover camping meals, fuel cans, and even human waste, turning the world’s once pristine peak into the world’s highest rubbish dump. In an effort to combat the littering issue, both Nepalese and Chinese authorities have implemented measures to compel climbers to bring their waste down with them and not leave it on the mountain. In 2014, for example, Nepal began charging a $4,000 garbage deposit that would be forfeited if climbers fail to return with their trash. More recently, Tibet has closed one of its most important camp sites and a popular tourist destination in order to collect all of the abandoned waste lying on its side of the mountain. Such forms of action are expected to raise more awareness among the climbers and prevent them from contributing to the degradation of the area’s fragile ecology and cultural traditions.
More measures taken by regional authorities to keep Mount Everest clean
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