A Nepal government expedition to Mount Everest has removed 11 tonnes of rubbish and four dead bodies from the world’s highest mountain, officials said on Wednesday 5th June.
Climbers returning from the 8,850-metre-high mountain say its slopes are littered with human excrement, used oxygen bottles, torn tents, ropes, broken ladders, cans and plastic wrappers left behind by climbers – an embarrassment for a country that earns valuable revenue from Everest expeditions.
Some of the rubbish was flown to Kathmandu and handed over to recyclers in a ceremony on Wednesday, officially concluding the cleaning campaign. Officials called it a successful mission but said more rubbish still needs to be collected. Some is covered by snow and only exposed when temperatures rise.
Officials have not been able to estimate exactly how much rubbish is on the mountain. Most was at Camps 2 and 3, at which climbers can rest along the way between the base camp and the summit.
