Everest Waste Mandate: Climbers Responsible for Feces Disposal

The Nepalese Government in association with Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality - the authority in charge of Mount Everest and Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), has stipulated that climbers henceforth must deal with their waste by carting back their feces to the base camp for proper disposal. Concerning the unsavory smells on the mountains, Mingma Sherpa, the chairman of Pasang Lhamu rural municipality, voiced worries about the region becoming a less popular place. These actions are part of wider measures that are being implemented when human waste fails to decompose due to the fact that mountain temperatures are freezing resulting in health problems and their image being badly tarnished.

While the base camp has provided specified toilet tents with barrels to collect waste, climbers have more challenges since they cannot have such facilities while on their way up. Most resort to excavating holes at lower elevations that are snow-covered; but once they go higher, they have to urinate in open areas. Shockingly few mountaineers store their waste in biodegradable sacks though they spend considerably lengthy periods of time at Mount Everest's summit.

The problem of surplus garbage in the Everest region still remains despite the enhanced clean-up activities carried out by initiatives like the ones by the Nepali Army every year. There are approximately three tonnes of fecal matter estimated from Camp One to Camp Four which is located at the summit of Everest—around half of which is supposedly collected at Camp Four (South Col). The issue is acute. The South Col, the absence of ice and snow due to strong winds at an altitude of over 25,000 feet, is particularly hit and called an “open toilet”.

The SPCC, functioning under the jurisdiction of Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, will distribute approximately 8,000 specially designed poo bags imported from the USA which will benefit about 400 mountaineers and their 800 support staff. These bags are filled with chemical agents that set the waste and deodorize it. The average 250 grams of human excrement daily generated by each climber on their two-week expeditions at higher altitudes for summit attempts translates into two bags of repeated use per climber.

According to Ramesh Parajuli of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal, such an initiative is a step forward and a pilot test on Everest and nearby Mount Lhotse before other peaks can be a possibility. Famous mountaineer Mingma Sherpa endorses this answer as American Mount Denali and Antarctica have blazed the trail before. Similarly, published by the International Mountain Guide Stephan Keck, this accomplishment is considered a step toward minimizing the litter of the Everest region.

The government of Nepal has made several attempts to regulate mountaineering activities by introducing different regulations but it is still facing criticism for poor enforcement. One important issue is the absence of the assigned liaison officers who always do not accompany climbing expeditions to their bases though they are mandated to do so.

Critiques brought out that the lack of a government regulator at base camps has led to many contradictions such as individuals climbing the peaks without proper permits. Chairman Mingma of Pasang Lhamu rural municipality, mentioned the problem saying, "State's absence has created a path for many malpractices."

He also gives a guarantee that the commencement of a dedicated contact office will lead to noticeable positive changes. This office will make sure that new regulations are strictly implemented including that climbers should come down with all their waste.

The issue of human waste in mountains is not unique to Everest, and various approaches have been implemented around the world to tackle it:

• Denali: Climbers on Denali, North America's highest peak, have been using mandatory "wag bags" for human waste for over a decade. These bags are collected at designated disposal points at lower camps.
• Aconcagua: Argentina's Aconcagua requires climbers to deposit waste in designated latrines at camps, with some operators using biodegradable bags for further transport down the mountain.
• Kilimanjaro: Climbers on Kilimanjaro in Tanzania must pay a waste deposit fee, which is refunded upon returning with all their litter, including human waste in designated bags.