High-tech drones offer a promising solution for cleaning up waste on Mount Everest, according to a recent report in Nice News.
Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world, known for its steep slopes and treacherous climb. However, even though the mountain sits over 29,000 feet above sea level, officials still find trash littering the white snowcaps.
Each year, around 60,000 people climb Mount Everest, leaving a significant environmental footprint behind. Per reports by the Kathmandu Post, the 2024 spring climbing season alone resulted in around 110 tons of waste along the mountain.
As a result of the increasing amount of trash left on the mountain, Mount Everest has been labeled "the world's highest garbage dump."
When garbage ends up littering the environment, it releases harmful, planet-warming gases into the atmosphere. Waste in remote areas, such as Mount Everest, poses an especially difficult challenge since it's even more difficult to reach and clean up.
Until recently, local Sherpa guides have been responsible for climbing the treacherous Khumbu Icefall — one of Mount Everest's most dangerous features — to clean the trail of waste. Now, however, officials in Nepal plan to deploy high-tech drones to remove waste from the mountain.
These drones can fly into high-altitude areas and lift over 515 pounds of trash between base camps every hour, according to test results from April. Clearing that amount of trash would typically require at least 14 porters and six hours of labor, according to Nice News.
Thanks to the new drones, officials can more effectively remove trash on Mount Everest without risking the lives of Sherpa guides. By keeping Mount Everest clean, the drones are also preventing non-biodegradable pieces of plastic from littering one of the world's natural wonders.
Nepali officials expect to start using the drones in March 2025.
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"The use of drones on Everest is a natural evolution of technology applied to Himalayan mountaineering," Dawa Steven Sherpa of Asian Trekking told ExplorersWeb. "Having the Sherpas less engaged in ferrying loads would free them up to assist their clients on the actual climb. This is more financially rewarding for them in terms of bonuses and tips."
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