The NeverRest Project

The rising number of visitors, framed with the necessity of Nepal for international tourism, has put in check their delicate ecosystem. Proof of this is that, in 1998, 20.014 visitors were registered at Sagarmatha National Park, while in 2018 they were 58.018 -53,692 in 2019 and 4,819 in 2020- which means the area’s tourism has tripled in 20 years, according to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC).

Since the first scaling of Mt Everest in 1953, the number of visitors in Khumbu Region “has increased greatly”, SPCC reports: from about 1,400 in 1972-3 to more than 52,000 foreign trekkers in 2023. “The enormous increase of visitors to the Everest region during the last quarter century has tremendously supported the local economy. Nevertheless, the pressure exerted from tourism has also resulted in increased environmental degradation from waste. With an increase in the number of visitors, littering of trash along trekking trails has become prominent”, SPCC say.

Garbage situation in Everest Base Camp in Spring 2023

In the Spring Season 2023, SPCC effectively managed a total of 60,488 kgs of waste generated by expedition groups at Everest Base Camp. An additional 8,954 kgs garbage was brought down by various expedition teams from higher camps above the Everest base camp as per the 8 kg garbage rule. The Carry Me Back (CMB) project achieved significant progress, with over 2,589 volunteers transporting 4,789 kgs of recyclables from Namche Bazaar to Lukla during spring and autumn campaigns.

The kinds of garbage that are most frequently found in the mountains are as follows, classified by the SPCC: Non-disposable: cans, bottles, EPI gas canisters, oxygen tanks, batteries, etc., and disposable (burnable and biodegradable): paper, cardboard, packaging, clothes, food scraps, etc.

The actual amount of waste and rubbish on Mount Everest remains uncertain due to a lack of information and varies depending on the source.

IUNC World Heritage Report

Both the SPCC and the Nepal Mountaineering Association, two important voices in Nepal, and the IUNC, the world’s largest environmental organisation, agree that the notable increase in visitation to the Mount Everest area in recent years has brought along significant waste management complications.

The IUNC World Heritage, as the international body that analyses the status of World Heritage sites, argued in its 2020 report that, in 2018, there were 35,000 kilos of waste on the mountain, and it was considered “critical” to highlight that, between 2014 and 2016, there was an average annual visitor level of 30,000 people to the region, while there were 57,000 between 2018 and 2019. This means there was an almost 100% increase in just three years, “This level of visitation increase exerts enormous strains on every aspect of visitor management, particularly waste management in remote areas”, IUNC World Heritage said.

What does the local law say?

There are rules for climbers and expeditions groups in Khumbu:

1. Garbage should be segregated into burnable, non-burnable and biodegradable categories at the base camp. All garbage must be handed over to SPCC to get a garbage clearance certificate.
2. Every climber ascending beyond Everest’s base camp must bring back at least 8 kg of garbage, and climber ascending above Amadablam base camp must bring back 3 kg of garbage.
3. Human waste (toilet) produced at the base camps must be collected in portable plastic barrels.
4. Burning or burying garbage at the base camps is strictly prohibited.
5. Painting on rocks is not allowed.
6. SPCC can check your permit any time during the expedition period.

Regenerative tourism in Mount Everest

In recent years, more work has been done to solve and promote greater awareness of global problems such as climate change, mass tourism, the human impact on ecosystems, pollution, and waste and resource management. This has made it possible to reach international agreements such as the 2030 Agenda and the European Green Pact.

Globalisation, economic and social crises, and the fact that we live in changing and uncertain times all lead to the proliferation of short-term benefits that not only do not solve our problems, but also have a negative impact on our economic and social systems. This has been the case with countless environmental catastrophes, including the unsatisfactory management of natural spaces. While we are not all guilty at an individual level, neither are we entirely innocent.

At The NeverRest Project, we know that the solution is not to simply cancel all tourism; it involves making it more of a conscious ordeal, and balancing tourism with the benefit of local populations and their economy. We believe that the immediate future will involve regenerative tourism based on sustainability, zero environmental and energetic impact from the visitor, and not degrading the local scenery and coexistence, but rather promoting it. Ultimately, out-of-control tourism not only leads to the destruction of the destination and its environment, but it also makes to replace it with another destination.