World's Highest Peak Everest and 3 Other Sites Undergo Major Cleanup... 33 Tons of Trash Collected

92 Participants Over Two Months Since April 5
Recovery of 2 Bodies... Police Verifying Identities
"Efforts for Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change Response"

Mountaineers are resting at the Everest Base Camp, the world's highest peak at 8,848 meters above sea level, in September 2015. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Intern Lee Gyehwa] A cleanup team led by the Nepal Army collected 33 tons of trash and recovered two bodies from four peaks, including the world's highest peak, Everest.

According to foreign media on the 6th (local time), the Nepal Army reported the results of the '2022 Mountain Cleanup Campaign,' which involved 92 cleanup team members over the past two months.

The cleanup team collected trash from four peaks?Mount Everest (8,848m above sea level), Lhotse (8,516m), Kangchenjunga (8,586m), and Manaslu (8,163m)?from April 5 to June 5 (local time). The two bodies are currently being identified by local police.

The trash they collected ranged from torn tents, oxygen tanks, ropes, and aluminum ladders used as climbing equipment to empty cans, bottles, and plastics.

Since 2019, the Nepal Army has been conducting cleanup operations annually on Mount Everest and other peaks in cooperation with the Tourism Board and Sherpas (mountain guides). In 2019, they collected 11 tons, but the cleanup was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, they collected 27.6 tons of trash.

Prabhu Sharma, Chief of Staff of the Nepal Army, emphasized at a press conference, "Mountain cleanup is essential not only for preserving the biodiversity of the Himalayas but also for reducing the adverse effects of climate change."

Meanwhile, the Nepal government introduced a system in 2014 that requires climbing teams to pay a deposit, which is refunded if they bring down more than 8 kg of trash, but the refund rate is known to be low.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.