KATHMANDU, JUNE 15

Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee has collected at least 45 metric ton of waste from Mt Everest.

The committee has been managing garbage and human waste generated by expedition teams at the Everest base camp in every spring climbing season.

"We mobilised 24 field staff at EBC for waste management this spring season. In this season, SPCC received a total of 44,713 kgs wastes from expedition groups at Everest Base Camp," SPCC chair Lamakazi Sherpa said.

The waste collected consists of 16,283 kgs of human waste, 15,408 kgs of burnable garbage, 7,148 kgs of kitchen waste and 5,874 kgs non-burnable garbage.

Sherpa shared that burnable garbage had been transported to SPCC's waste management facility at Namche and non-burnable garbage are being transported to Kathmandu for recycling. All kitchen waste and human waste are transported to a safe disposal site near Gorakshep.

Since 2015, SPCC also inspects the 8 kgs garbage rule formulated by the Nepal government for Mt Everest, according to which every climber ascending above Everest base camp must bring back at least 8 kg of garbage.

"We have set up a checkpoint for inspecting the 8 kg garbage rule at the base of Khumbu icefall. In this Spring 2022 climbing season, we have received 3,767 kgs garbage from above the base camp brought down by various expedition teams. We would like to thank all expedition operators, guides and climbers for your cooperation in keeping the Everest Base Camp clean."