Spending time in a beautiful part of the world should be viewed as a privilege, not as a chance to dump your trash.
A Redditor shared a photo of someone's moment at one of the most renowned spots on the planet: the top of Mount Everest. In the r/interestingasf*** subreddit, they wrote: "Ever Wonder What The Top Of Everest Looks Like?"
The Earth looks dazzling in the background of the photo, but the pile of garbage right behind the person taking the selfie is a huge distraction from the beauty. Among the trash heap appear to be hundreds of colorful prayer flags.
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One commenter said: "I mean that's super cool, but it kinda looks like the picture was taken at a dump."
Climbers leaving waste on the mountain has been a problem for a long time, with some opting to leave equipment behind instead of carrying it on the trek back down.
In 2014, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) said that "all climbers scaling Mount Everest will have to bring back 8 kilograms (17.6 pounds) of rubbish under rules designed to clean up the world's highest peak."
Unfortunately, that rule has yet to solve this problem. Mount Everest is more popular than ever, with Nepal issuing a record-high 463 permits to climbers in 2023, according to Earth.org. But the Earth's highest point is tough to reach, making all the litter difficult to clean up. Geographical Magazine reports there's an estimated 30 tonnes (around 33 tons) of garbage on Everest.
Littering has many harmful effects on humans and the environment. Microplastics, for example, have been found in snow samples from Everest, and these can be toxic for all organisms. Efforts have been made to clean up Mount Everest, but so far, the problem remains.
Thankfully, in other areas around the world, many people care about keeping our Earth free from litter. Volunteer groups have made a huge impact with the hours they've spent gathering litter from places such as parks and beaches.
There are also nonprofit groups that work together to make the world a cleaner, safer place for us all.
Many commenters on the Reddit post were disgusted to see the garbage on top of Mount Everest. One commenter said: "People have managed to turn the top of the world into a garbage bin."
Another Redditor wrote: "Gross, we just can't have nice things."
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