Mt Everest is Getting a Heavy-Duty Clean-Up

Mountain climbing takes a lot of equipment and supplies, especially if you are tackling Mt Everest, the world’s highest mountain, deep in the Himalayas in Nepal. But everything that has gone up the mountain hasn’t always come down. Trash left behind by hikers has been a growing problem for decades.

Climbers have left behind an estimated 50 metric tons of waste on the mountain, reported Business Insider. The government of Nepal has tried many different ways to get the visitors to clean up after themselves including ruling that climbers have to collect and carry out 18 pounds of garbage every time they visit or pay a huge fine. Now, a new innovative way to remove the trash was trialed, using unmanned “heavy Lifter” drones to carry it out by air.

A growing issue
Prior to the advent of drones, bringing garbage down from the mountain was an arduous task that was usually done by Sherpas, the local people who live in the area, reported AP News.

“The garbage left there was mostly old tents, some food packaging and gas cartridges, oxygen bottles, tent packs, and ropes used for climbing and tying up tents,” Ang Babu Sherpa, who led the team of Sherpas, told AP. This garbage is layered and frozen at the 8,000-meter altitude.

The Sherpas typically collected trash and human remains during the spring when the weather was favorable. “We had to wait for good weather when the sun would melt the ice cover. But waiting a long time in that altitude and conditions is just not possible,” Shepa said. “It’s difficult to stay for long with the oxygen level very low.”

But the work is very difficult and dangerous. Using drones could be a practical and life-saving measure, especially in the Khumbu Icefall region – a river of ice a kilometer or so long – that is treacherous to climbers and locals, reported The Kathmandu Post.

In 2014, an avalanche buried 16 Sherpa guides in the icefall and last year, three guides that were preparing routes perished and were buried under masses of ice. The Sherpas carry down waste are also at great risk. Soon, drones will be taking over the trash removal.

The DJI FlyCart 30 drone
In April, 2024, Chinese drone maker DIJ conducted the first trial on Mt Everest. The test showed that the DJI FlyCart 30, a long-distance heavy lifter drone, could airlift 234 kilograms per hour, and bring it to the base camp. This is something that would have taken 14 porters six hours to accomplish.

“After a successful test in April [2024], we plan to use drones commercially in the Everest region,” said Jagat Bhusal, chief administration officer of the rural municipality that hosts Everest. In the fall, the drones will be deployed to clean-up Ama Dablam, south of Everest. Then in the spring of 2025, the work will begin on Everest.

But the drones, just like the helicopters that are used to carry equipment and rescue climbers, still have to overcome the altitude of the mountain, according to Outside.  The maximum flying altitude of the DJI FlyCart 30 is 19,600 feet (5.95 kilometers) and that is lower than Camp I. Mountain environments also present other challenges like blocking radio signals that control the drones. But work-arounds are already in the works.

While some local jobs will be lost, improving safety is the first goal. Cleaning up Everest is getting much more efficient and much safer. That’s certainly cause to celebrate.