Garbage on Mount Everest is collected and separated.Image: SPCC Nepal
Every year, mountains of rubbish on Mount Everest make the rounds on social media. That’s why new regulations in the fight against rubbish were launched for the new season. Whether this will pay off remains to be seen.
May 26, 2026, 11:19 amMay 26, 2026, 11:19 am
Mount Everest is the Mecca of mountaineers. Every year thousands of climbers from all over the world make a pilgrimage to the region to conquer the highest mountain in the world. Last Wednesday alone 269 people reached the summit on the same day – a record.
If the conditions are good, the mountaineers pile up on the way to the summit (archive photo from 2019). Image: AP @Nimsdai Project Possible
The many people bring the region a lot of income – a license for climbing alone now costs $15,000 – but also a lot of problems.
As the number of people increases, more and more rubbish is left behind on the mountain. Pictures of abandoned tents and equipment make the rounds on social media every year.
On average, climbers produce eight to twelve kilograms of waste per capita: tents, ropes, excrement. And the more people climb the mountain, the more garbage builds up – especially on the upper section of the mountain.
New measures implemented
For the 2026 season, the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), a local organization dedicated to the fight against waste, issue new regulations.
Since 2016, each person has to hand over at least eight kilograms of garbage when returning to base camp. However, this caused cheating, according to the Nepalese news platform «The Tourism Times» Mountaineers often left their rubbish behind in the high camps and instead collected rubbish further down.
Those responsible measure how much garbage has been collected. Image: Facebook/SPCC
Therefore, for this season, every mountaineer must ensure that two kilograms of this waste is collected from the area above Camp Two. “This new regulation is specifically aimed at cleaning up the higher camps such as camps three and four,” says Tshering Sherpa, managing director of the SPCC.
In addition, separating waste is now mandatory in all base camps; the waste must be separated into different categories. People are also now “no longer allowed to use their own waste bags, but must instead use the bags provided by the SPCC and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality.” This is intended to prevent climbers from leaving the excrement bags behind on the mountain. This is then also checked by the SPCC during descent:
“The prescribed bags are registered and collected as soon as the climbers return from the expedition,” says Tshering Sherpa.
Another measure that is currently being discussed is the creation of a specific area in camp four where people can dispose of their garbage in an emergency. “In this way, waste could be reduced next season,” says Tshering Sherpa.
“Small but positive step”
Those responsible hope that the measures will improve the mountain. “It is a small but positive step to keep Mount Everest clean,” says Rishi Bhandari, secretary general of the Nepal Expedition Operators Association. According to Bhandari, the organizers would adhere to the new regulations.
Shiva Bahadur Sapkota, general secretary of the Everest Summiteers Association, thinks the move is good and appeals to everyone involved, both organizers and mountaineers, to comply with the regulations: “Everyone must work towards implementing and monitoring the rules instead of just formulating them.”
However, it remains to be seen whether the measures will actually work. In any case, the 2026 spring climbing season is on track for records. According to Khimlal Gautam, head of the Tourism Ministry’s branch office at Everest Base Camp, the number of mountaineers could break the 1,000 mark before the end of the season at the end of May – a challenge not only for mountaineers, but also for the environment.