Garbage and corpses on Mount Everest "Most of the garbage comes from previous expeditions"

A team of Sherpas and soldiers has removed tons of garbage and several bodies from the highest mountain on earth this mountain season. However, it is likely to be years before the garbage problem is solved.

The highest camp on the highest mountain on earth is littered with garbage. Removing the garbage is likely to take years - as described by a Sherpa who led a team working not far from the summit of Mount Everest to remove garbage and free bodies that had been frozen there for years.

The team of Sherpas and soldiers, financed by the Nepalese government, removed eleven tons of garbage, four corpses and a skeleton from Everest this mountain season. Ang Babu Sherpa, their leader, says there could still be between 40 and 50 tons of garbage at South Col, the last camp at an altitude of around 8,000 meters that climbers pass before reaching the summit.

"The garbage left there is mainly old tents, some food wrappers and gas cartridges, oxygen cylinders, tent packs and ropes used for climbing and tying up the tents," he said. The garbage piled up in layers.

Garbage since 1953

Since the first ascent in 1953, thousands of climbers have scaled the summit - often leaving more than their footprints behind. In recent years, the government has demanded that adventurers bring their garbage back with them. Failure to do so threatened the loss of a corresponding deposit.

Together with increased environmental awareness among mountaineers, this has led to less garbage being left behind. However, this was not the case in previous decades. "Most of the garbage comes from previous expeditions," said Ang Babu.

The Sherpas in the team spent weeks collecting garbage and bodies in the higher areas during the popular spring season, when the weather conditions are more favorable, while the soldiers concentrated on lower altitude levels and the area around the base camp.

Difficult recovery

Ang Babu said the weather has been a major challenge, especially at the highest camp, where oxygen levels are only about a third of normal, winds can quickly turn into blizzards and drastic drops in temperature are possible.

"We had to wait for good weather, for the sun to melt the ice cover," he said. "But in these conditions, it's simply not possible to wait long. Recovering the garbage is difficult because it has to be broken out of the ice."

The recovery of a body that was frozen deep in the ice in a standing position near South Col took two days, he said. In the meantime, the team had to withdraw due to deteriorating weather conditions.

"The oldest waste was from 1957"

Another body was located even higher, at around 8400 meters. It took 18 hours to bring it to Camp 2, where it was picked up by a helicopter. The bodies were taken to a university hospital in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu for examination.

Of the eleven tons of garbage removed, three tons of rotting items were taken to villages near the Everest base, the remaining eight tons were transported by porters and yaks and then taken by truck to Kathmandu.

There they were sorted for recycling at a facility run by Agni Ventures, a company that deals with recyclable waste. "The oldest waste we received was from 1957, and that was rechargeable batteries for flashlights," said Sushil Khadga, who works for the company.

But why do mountaineers leave their garbage behind at all? "At this high altitude, life is very difficult and oxygen levels are very low. Therefore, the climbers and their helpers are more concerned about saving themselves," said Khadga.