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Nepal scraps failed Everest waste deposit program
Nepalese authorities have discontinued a decade-old scheme requiring climbers to pay a $4,000 deposit refundable only if they carried at least 8 kg of waste down from Mount Everest, the BBC reports.
Scheme deemed ineffective
Introduced in 2014, the initiative aimed to address the estimated 50 tonnes of trash scattered across the world's highest peak. However, officials now say the program "failed to show a tangible result" and became an administrative burden.
Himal Gautam, director at Nepal's tourism department, confirmed that while most climbers received refunds-suggesting compliance-the waste problem persisted, particularly at higher altitudes.
Why the deposit rule fell short
Tshering Sherpa, CEO of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, explained that climbers typically retrieved waste from lower camps but left behind tents, food packaging, and other debris at higher elevations. "From higher camps, people tend to bring back oxygen bottles only," he said.
Critics also highlighted a key flaw: the 8 kg requirement was less than the average 12 kg of waste generated per climber during their six-week expedition. Additionally, monitoring was limited to a single checkpoint above the Khumbu Icefall, leaving most of the mountain unsupervised.
New approach: Non-refundable clean-up fee
Nepal plans to replace the deposit with a $4,000 non-refundable fee per climber, pending parliamentary approval. The funds will establish a checkpoint at Camp Two and deploy rangers to patrol higher altitudes, ensuring climbers remove their trash.
"We had been questioning the effectiveness of the deposit scheme all this time because we are not aware of anyone who was penalised for not bringing their trash down."
Mingma Sherpa, Chairperson, Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality
The fee will support a five-year mountain clean-up action plan, described by tourism ministry spokesperson Jaynarayan Acarya as a measure to "immediately address the pressing problem of waste on our mountains."
Everest's growing waste crisis
While no formal study quantifies the waste, estimates suggest tonnes of debris-including non-decomposing human excrement-accumulate annually. With around 400 climbers and support staff ascending each year, sustainability concerns are mounting.
Officials hope the new system will curb the environmental damage, though its success remains untested.
