An unlikely problem plagues the world's tallest peak. With the Himalyan climbing season starting to reach it's peak time, hordes of ambitious climbers and their guides are racing to the top of the world — and leaving their trash below.
According to NPR, Some 4,000 people have scaled Mount Everest since the 29,035-foot-high Himalayan peak was first summited in 1953 by New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary and a Nepalese Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay. After the physical exertion of climbing as high as some planes fly, it's no surprise that the majority of climbers leave their trash on the icy slopes. It's an eyesore for a sacred mountain to say the least.
But that's all about to change. Authorities in Nepal are announcing they'll hand out a hefty $4000 fine to any litter bugs they catch leaving Everest scattered with tuna cans and ramen noodle pouches.
"We are not asking climbers to search and pick up trash left by someone else," Maddhu Sudan Burlakoti, head of the mountaineering department at the Tourism Ministry, tells The Associated Press. "We just want them to bring back what they took up."
The AP continues, explaining:
"The goal is to make sure no new trash will be left on Everest, which has earned the nickname 'the world's highest garbage dump' because of the tons of crumpled food wrappers, shredded tents and spent oxygen cylinders littering the mountain."
"The government has long asked climbers to clear their trash, but there was no mechanism to check what people brought down. There also was little or no enforcement despite threats [to keep the deposit] - which were rarely carried out."
The BBC reports, All mountaineers and support staff climbing Mount Everest must bring back at least 17 lb of rubbish each on their descent. "Once they submit the rubbish to officials of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee on their return to the Everest base camp, they will get a receipt. They will need to submit that to us so that they can reclaim their deposits," Madhusudan Burlakoti told BBC Nepali's Surendra Phuyal in Kathmandu.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
