Everest Climbers Must Now Carry Out Poop
Until now, climbers were told to cover their waste with snow, but thankfully they'll now have to carry it out
Over 1,000 climbers will be heading to Everest over the next few months and a new rule states that each will now have to carry out their own human waste. Mount Everest is littered with an estimated 50 metric tons of waste, and each climber generates an average of eight kilograms more during their visit.
The Nepalese government spends $7.5 million yearly on the Mountain Clean-up Campaign, retrieving dozens of tons of waste from Mount Everest and nearby peaks. But it’s still not enough to deal with the never ending trash problem. “Our mountains have begun to stink,” Mingma Sherpa, chairman of the Pasang Lhamu rural municipality, told the BBC.
The new rule was initiated by the Nepali Army in cooperation with Unilever Nepal. “Each person produces 250 grams (8.8 ounces) of excrement a day and they will spend 2 weeks on the higher camps for the summit push,” said Jinesh Sindurakar, a member of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
Until now, climbers were told to dig a hole in the snow and to bury their poop, but that has resulted in a big stinky mess. Thankfully all climbers will now have to carry biodegradable bags up and down the world’s highest mountain.
Everest Waste
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