The ever increasing piles of waste on Mount Everest has been a major concern for both Nepal and China, who share the mountain on their border. The geographic marvel attracts approximately 35,000 people to its basecamps each year, around 600 of which attempt to scale the summit. The massive inflow of visitors to the mountain has lead to an equally massive amount of waste piling up in the Everest National Park area. Alarmed by this declining state of the mountain, China recently decided to impose a limit on the number of permits it will issue for climbers and visitors. While China has acknowledged the issue and is limiting permits, the Himalayan nation of Nepal is yet to take any significant action to protect the mountain it proudly boasts of as its national glory. With the government willing to compensate the preservation of the mountain and the well-being of the local communities for more revenue, the dire situation of the world’s highest peak cannot be expected to improve.

The constantly rising number of climbers in the region has led to an unprecedented amount of waste being left on the mountain. Due to the harsh climate, it becomes nearly impossible for waste to degrade, resulting in the trash piling up on the trails and base camps. The waste comprises mostly of empty oxygen cylinders, damaged equipment, food containers and human waste. In 2018, the local Sherpas in Nepal removed around 12,000 kilograms of human waste off the mountain, while Chinese teams on the northern face removed 8.5 tons of waste. The massive amounts of waste not only pollute the mountain, but also pose a health hazard as the glacial waters melt into the rivers that sustain local communities.

As a low-income country which is highly dependant on tourism to generate its revenue, it is even more difficult for Nepal to take actions to limit permits for expeditions. Everest expeditions alone contribute a monumental four million dollars to tourism generated revenue in 2017. The high amounts of revenue led the Himalayan nation to lower the price of permits from [30,000 to 11,000 USD in 2014] (https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140219-mount-everest-nepal-climbing-fees-adventure/ ), thereby inviting even more people to conquer this overly commercialized and overcrowded peak. Even though the country generates massive amounts of income through these expeditions, the Nepali government has been incapable of channeling it into the conservation of the region and into improving the living standards of the local communities.

Previous efforts have been made by the Nepalese government, such as requiring climbers to make a deposit of 4,000 USD which would be refunded only if each climber brought back eight kilograms of waste with them. It even hired local sherpas by giving them an incentive of [two dollars for every kilogram] (http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/39442821/tonnes-of-rubbish-is-being-cleared-from-mount-everest ) of waste they brought down and launched several local projects to clean up the mountain region. While these efforts have been slightly effective in reducing the amount of waste on the lower camps, the trash trail in the upper regions – from base camp four – sees no hope of improvement.

Instead of lowering permit prices and commercializing the expedition to attract even more amateurs, the government of Nepal should come up with strategies to reduce the number of people who visit the mountain every year. Following China’s lead, Nepal can issue a limited number of permits per climbing season. While this may seem like a major concern, as it implies a cutback in revenue, the government of Nepal can auction these permits in order to retain high income from these expeditions.

Additionally, to prioritize safety concerns, these permits may be made available only to individuals who have fulfilled requirements of having completed multiple expeditions of a similar rigour. The local Sherpa communities can be given more incentive, such as income, by selling the discarded oxygen tanks, which cost approximately 500 USD, an impressive amount in a low-income nation such as Nepal. Additionally, trash can be collected at pre-decided points and helicopters can be used to airlift the waste, thereby reducing labor and also the risk involved in manually transporting such large weights.

It is high time for the government of Nepal to acknowledge the degrading state of Mount Everest and for it to take immediate actions and implement them by putting into use the massive revenue the expeditions generate. The government should work to preserve what it boasts of as its national treasure, before the world’s highest peak changes into the world’s highest dump.