Recycled waste from Everest trending in Nepal

KATHMANDU: In the city of Kathmandu items made out of recycled waste collected from Mount Everest are making their way to people’s homes as authorities and businesses are coming up with new ways to tackle the pollution problem caused by decades of commercial mountaineering.

Huge amounts of trash which includes empty cans, gas canisters, bottles, plastic and discarded climbing gear were collected from the mountain which has been recently named as the ‘world’s highest dumpster’.

Nabin Bikash Maharjan from Blue Waste to Value (BW2V), a local recycling organisation, told AFP, “Waste doesn’t need to be wasted”. Further explaining on the topic he said, “We received a mix of various waste materials from Everest — aluminium, glass, plastic, iron — much of which could be recycled. We need to up-cycle and add value to them.”

Due to huge amounts of waste found at the mountain, Nepal government and mountaineering groups organized a six-week clean-up campaign. The idea for the campaign was implemented after heavy criticism for the condition of one of the country’s greatest natural resources.

During the campaign, 14 teams of mountaineers scaled nearly 8000 meters from the base camp and retrieved more than 10 tonnes of trash that was flown or driven to recycling centres in Nepalese capital.

The waste collected was further manually sorted by the workers. After proper segregation process iron was sent to rod manufacturing firms, shredded aluminium cans to utensil makers, and discarded bottles were re-fashioned into household items.

Ujen Wangmo Lepcha of Moware Designs said, “Waste is a taboo in our society, considered as dirt”. Moware Designs is a firm which recycles rubbish into light fixtures and glasses. Their recycled products are now used in high-end hotels, restaurants, and homes around the capital city. Lepcha further said that there is growing consumer interest in goods made from scraps collected from Everest.

Sagarmatha, a new waste facility named after the Nepali name for Everest is also near completion phase in Syangboche. The facility is situated at an altitude of nearly 3,800 metres (12,400 feet), passed by trekkers and mountaineers on the way to the base camp. It will process garbage, and collaborate with artists and innovators to make new products in a bid to tap into this burgeoning market for Everest ‘products’.