CURRENT
SITUATION
Everest
Base Camp 5,300 m (17,600 feet) This camp (located on the
Khumbu Glacier) sees approximately 100 to 400 climbers and support
staff in a given season. Climbing seasons in the Himalaya are
in the fall and spring (April-May and September-October). Their
stay on the glacier can last anywhere from 5-8 weeks. Such large
numbers of people, combined with a lack of waste management facilities
have led to a substantial build up of trash, as well as the contamination
of local water supplies by human waste. Although many reports
indicate that this area is free of recoverable trash, much waste
that was previously buried under rocks is perpetually exhumed
as the glacier proceeds down the valley. In 1998, we found one
such camp and collected 14 full-size garbage bags of tin cans,
gas canisters, batteries and general trash.
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Camp
I 6,000
m (19,500 feet) As Camp I is generally only used until Camp II
is established, significant amounts of trash do not tend to accumulate
there. Any trash that is left behind is often buried by snow,
making recovery essentially impossible.
Camp
II 6,500 m (21,300) - Also known as Advanced Base Camp, Camp
II is littered with discarded tents, fuel canisters, medical waste,
plastic packaging and tin cans, as well as human waste.
Camp
III 7,300 m (24,000 feet) - Perched precariously on the Lhotse
Face, Camp III is littered with shredded tents and other climbing
equipment left behind by previous expeditions.
Camp
IV 7,900 m (26,000 feet) - Camp IV has the dubious distinction
of being the world's highest garbage dump. The South Col is strewn
with an estimated 1000 empty oxygen bottles, spent fuel canisters,
batteries, shredded tents and other discarded mountaineering equipment.
This material is often left at the Col due to the very harsh conditions
generally experienced here. For a number of reasons (bad weather,
sheer exhaustion, injury) climbers often have no choice but to
get off the mountain as fast as possible, and this often means
that some of their equipment is left behind.
Local
Villages - Unfortunately,
environmental problems in the Everest region are not limited to
the mountain itself. Many of the villages en route face significant
trash and biological waste management problems. Steps are being
taken by local authorities to address these issues; for example,
glass and plastic bottles are no longer allowed in the Park. However
it is also up to trekkers and climbers to ensure that they minimize
their impacts in this area.
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GOALS
Final Environmental Report NOW available!
Throughout
the expedition, every effort will be made to minimize our impact
on the local cultural and natural environments (see Travel
Tips). We will also try to encourage this perspective among
other climbers and trekkers. Our specific goals on the mountain
include:
Base
Camp - At base camp, we will have two main objectives. The
first will be to address the issue of human waste by capturing
all waste and treating it, to break it down and sterilize it.
It will then be buried further down the valley where it will decompose.
We
will also identify other "buried" campsites where trash has been
left by previous expeditions in the past. Trash will be collected,
sorted, and packaged for removal from the mountain.
High
Camps (I-IV) - Trash will be collected from each of the high
camps on the mountain and returned to Base Camp, where it will
be sorted, catalogued, and packaged for transport to the proper
waste management facilities. While the climbers will be involved
in this effort, a Sherpa team will assume primary responsibility
for this. The greater strength and level of acclimatization of
the Sherpas will allow them to accomplish this task much more
efficiently.
Burnable
and degradable trash will be transported to Namche Bazaar where
it will be incinerated and composted. Other trash, such as recyclables
and non-recyclables will be flown by helicopter to Kathmandu,
and then shipped, via India, back to the United States to the
appropriate recycling or disposal facilities.
Local
Villages - The team will follow these guidelines
in an attempt to minimize their impact on the natural and cultural
landscapes of the villages of the Everest Region.
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