Kathmandu: The Mountain Clean-up Campaign 2023, led and coordinated by the Nepali Army has successfully concluded the halfway mark of waste collection from four mountains including Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Annapurna, and Mt. Baruntse.
The noble cause has seen the collaboration of several organizations, with The Coca-Cola Foundation as the major donor partner for the campaign.
This is one of the largest mountain cleanup programs in the world, the campaign commenced on 28th March and will close on 5th June.
Every year, hundreds of climbers, Sherpas, and high altitude porters make their way to the Everest, leaving behind tons of both biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste along the way to the highestpeaks, leading to a challenging waste management problem in the mountains.
The campaignteam comprises a total of 97 dedicated members which includes Nepali Army personnel and Sherpa supporters.
The team had to endure extremely harsh weather conditions which slowed the clean-up efforts and so far, has collected 34,166Kgs of waste from the four mountains.
The waste retrieved from the mountains comprises of empty oxygen canisters, abandoned tents, food containers, plastics, glass, aluminum, and electronic gadget waste among others.
The campaign team continues to complete the campaign with the aim of collecting 35,000 Kgs of waste from the mountains this year.
The Mountain Clean-up Campaign is an initiative led by the Nepali Army and various stakeholders, aimed at protecting the environment of the Himalayas and minimizing the effects of climate change.
The campaign is currently in its fourth series, and The Coca-Cola Foundation has been a major donor partner for four consecutive years.