Crowdsourcing used to remove 10,000 kgs of waste from Mount Everest region

Sagarmatha Next, an experience centre situated at 3,775 meters at the base of Mount Everest, is working with the local NGO Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), to find innovative ways to remove and upcycle waste from the mountains.

Powered by DELL Technologies, the high-altitude experience centre Sagarmatha Next has become a must-stop for visitors. Since opening, more than 15,000 visitors have been educated about the challenges in the region and the initiatives to solve them, and enjoyed the interactive digital exhibition and several VR experiences that transports visitors to the highest peaks.

200 tonnes of waste are generated in the Mount Everest region every year. With 80,000 yearly trekkers visiting Sagarmatha National Park, approx. 200 tonnes of solid waste are generated. Given the lack of infrastructure and connectivity, this waste is left behind in the mountains.

SPCC, a community-based NGO established by the local Sherpa people of Khumbu, is the lead organisation working to manage waste in the Khumbu region. SPCC has been continuously working to keep Khumbu clean through development of appropriate waste management infrastructures, and integrating sustainable waste management approaches, such as setting up a system for waste segregation, strengthening community participation, dissemination of public education, and finding opportunities for waste reduction, reuse and recycling.

Since 1997, SPCC has been contracted by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to set the climbing route through the Khumbu Icefall. The SPCC also works to check climbing permits, monitor illegal climbing, and implement waste management strategies at the base camps of the Khumbu area’s mountains and peaks including Mt. Everest.

SPCC has partnered with Sagarmatha Next and BW2V to find better solutions for waste management in the region. The three organisations have conducted a field-research to assess the situation in the area, and propose alternatives to manage the waste on site as well as transport it to Kathmandu in an affordable manner. As a result, Carry Me Back was proposed and piloted as a jointly first initiative.

Started in 2019, Carry Me Back is a crowdsourced waste removal system, that offers every trekker an opportunity to remove 1 kg of waste from the mountains. The program has successfully removed 10,000 kg with the help of 6,000 participants who have voluntarily carried them out of the national park.

Sagarmatha Next is now releasing a new film to help raise awareness and support for the important cause of keeping Mount Everest free from waste.

Varun Saraf, Director at Saraf Foundation and founder of Sagarmatha Next, enthused "we are excited to celebrate our first anniversary and the release of our new film. The film shows how this remote region attracts thousands of visitors and how we must all come together to preserve it for future generations.”   

Sagarmatha Next is excited to announce the release of its new film that showcases the impact of tourism and waste in the region and hopes it inspires further action globally.       

Saraf added "the entire world comes to Everest, the highest place on earth and this is where the change begins. We wish to spread the message and replicate projects to remove waste to other environment-sensitive regions across the globe."

More information about the film can be found here

Image. Mount Everest Rubbish. Credit: Martin Edström.