A ‘Carry Me Back’ program sponsored by non-profits near the base of Mount Everest is helping clear the thousands of kilos of trash left behind by the 80,000 trekkers a year who visit Sagarmatha National Park, high in the Himalayas.
Sagarmatha Next, an ‘experience center’ at the 3,775 meter mark at Everest’s foot, along with NGO SPCC, has been asking visitors to take one kilogram of waste with them, taking it out of the area, which has limited infrastructure to deal with the 200 tonnes of solid waste left behind each year.
The high-altitude experience centre says more than 15,000 visitors have been educated about the challenges in the region and the initiatives to solve them, and enjoyed the interactive digital exhibition and several VR experiences that transports visitors to the highest peaks, even for those who climb no further.
The center has released a new film about its efforts, including the trash removal, which so far has seen visitors carrying back over 10,000 kg of trash from the Everest area.
Image: Mount Everest trash, photo by Martin Edström
