The Mount Everest
The first Everest mountain rangers' mission inside Nepal's first Everest rangers are based at Camp II, where they keep an eye on climbers, enforce waste regulations, and deal with the mountain's growing trash. The face had been exposed to the sun for a long time in the Himalayas. The man in the black cap quietly entered a stage in Kathmandu last week, thin and pale from weeks spent above 6,000 meters.
He was introduced as the first mountain ranger in Nepal, Ngima Wangchu Sherpa. The title may sound unusual to most people. The position, on the other hand, has the potential to become one of the most important ones on Mount Everest, where commercial climbing for decades has left behind tons of trash and human waste. Ngima Wangchu, 53, spent weeks stationed at Camp II during this spring climbing season, nearly 6,400 meters above sea level, overseeing waste management, instructing climbers, and providing emergency assistance in one of the harshest environments on earth.
“At first glance, climbers see me from a distance and think I’m just another guide walking around,” he said. "But the majority of them really don't want to meet me." Mountain Ranger is written across the back of his jacket as the reason. With a grin, he stated, "I stare at them sometimes just to give them the feeling that I’m like a policeman here and that throwing garbage is being monitored." During this season, numerous climbers began to notice me.
I want them to know that someone is watching, but I don't want to make them afraid. The organization in charge of managing waste in the Everest region, the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), launched the mountain ranger program this spring. The initiative is being criticized more and more for the amount of trash that has built up on the highest mountain in the world. The SPCC established an Everest Rangers Base at Camp II for the first time. Ngima Wangchu, who has climbed Everest four times, was given the job of keeping an eye on climbers and making sure they followed a new rule that says every climber and high-altitude guide must take at least two kilograms of trash down from higher camps, especially Camp III and Camp IV.
He provided the following explanation: "We collect the waste brought by climbers, weigh it, put it in sacks, and issue a clearance chit." "Later, the collected waste is transported to Camp I and then to Everest Base Camp by drones." The assignment was unlike anything Ngima Wangchu had ever done before. He stated, "This is my first experience as a ranger." We encourage climbers to keep Everest clean in addition to collecting trash. In addition, we do respond to emergencies by providing rescue climbers and those in need of oxygen in the higher camps with bottled oxygen. The task at hand is enormous.
Everest has been transformed into one of the world's highest garbage dumps through decades of commercial mountaineering. Oxygen cylinders, tents, ropes, food packaging, gas canisters, and bodily waste are left behind by hundreds of climbers, Sherpas, guides, and support staff each climbing season. In the upper reaches of the mountain, many of these materials freeze for years before melting glaciers bring them back down. One of the most persistent threats is plastic.
It can take centuries for a single plastic bag to break down. Under intense ultraviolet radiation, extreme cold, and strong winds, chocolate wrappers, energy gel packets, and other expedition waste gradually break down into microplastics that contaminate snow, streams, and drinking water sources throughout the Khumbu region. Long-term effects can result from even the tiniest piece of litter. Beyond the food packaging, oxygen cylinders, and discarded tents, Everest cleaning presents a challenge. Since climbing records began, more than 300 people have died on Mount Everest. An estimated 200 bodies are still on the mountain, many of them in the infamous "Death Zone" above 8,000 meters. Body recovery is one of the riskiest activities in mountaineering because of the extreme altitude, harsh weather, and difficult terrain. Due to the lack of air and manpower required, it is risky and costly to remove bodies from higher camps. Officials in mountaineering say that it can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $200,000 to retrieve a body from Everest, depending on where it is and how difficult the task is.
According to SPCC CEO Tshering Sherpa, "most climbers' bodies are left behind on Everest due to the difficulties and cost factors involved." Some families want the body to stay on Everest, while others simply cannot afford the cost of bringing it back. When it comes to cleaning Everest, this presents a significant obstacle. Policymakers are considering tighter regulations for expedition operators as a result of the issue. Before an expedition begins, organizations that organize mountaineering expeditions would be required to obtain insurance coverage from Nepali-licensed companies under a proposed law. Personal accident insurance, medical treatment insurance, search-and-rescue insurance, and insurance for managing and retrieving dead bodies would all be covered.
The proposal is a part of a larger effort to address both safety and environmental concerns on Everest, where an increasing number of climbers are putting an unprecedented amount of pressure on the mountain's fragile ecosystem and rescue infrastructure. The introduction of mountain rangers is only the beginning for the SPCC. Future conservation efforts will increasingly focus on addressing long-standing issues like abandoned equipment, human waste, and the growing number of undiscovered bodies frozen high on the mountain, in addition to waste collection. Along with its reputation as the most difficult mountaineering challenge in the world, Everest has become increasingly associated with environmental neglect as climbing traffic has increased over time. Tshering Sherpa stated, "A mountain is not just a mountain." "It is our deity. It affects how we make money.
Our obligation is to keep it clean. He went on to say, "Mountains have enormous value to our communities as well as to the sustainability of high-value tourism." After SPCC officials conducted an Everest assessment expedition in 2024, the ranger concept emerged. Tshering stated, "We have talked about the garbage problem for decades." On social media, individuals question why Everest is still littered. We believed we needed to go there ourselves to comprehend the situation. Their findings were both shocking and obvious. Over Camp II, waste exists. That is the truth, he stated. However, another reality is that it is extremely challenging to bring it down. Management of waste at those altitudes is risky and frequently life-threatening. As the number of climbers continues to rise, the pressure on the mountain has increased. A record number of 495 climbing permits were issued to foreign climbers attempting Everest from the south side this spring. Over 1,000 climbers made it to the summit during the season, which ended on May 29. Every climber needs at least one guide.
Tshering
stated, "Anyone can imagine the amount of garbage produced in the higher
camps." The scope of the challenge is demonstrated by the SPCC's
collection of numbers. 1.22 tons of non-recyclable wastes were recovered from
Camp III and the South Col by the organization in the spring. A portable stove,
1.76 tonnes of human waste bags, and 210 empty gas canisters were also brought
down from the top of the mountain by teams. The SPCC's Khumbu Icefall checkpoint
saw another 6.52 tonnes of waste, including plastics, metal cans, paper,
kitchen scraps, tents, ropes, and climbing supplies. Tshering stated, "The
garbage collected at Base Camp is still being evaluated." The issue goes
much deeper than a single season. The SPCC collected 85 tonnes of waste in the
spring of 2024, including nearly 28 tonnes of human waste. 11 more tons were
removed by the Nepali Army. The SPCC's waste collection capacity reached 110
tonnes in 2025. This year, the organization implemented stricter waste-return
requirements in response to growing environmental pressure.
Every climber and high-altitude worker is required to return at least two kilograms of trash from areas above Camp II under the new rules. Before climbers descend, the waste must be delivered directly to Camp II-based mountain rangers. The program is just getting started. Tshering stated, "We started with two rangers this year." "We plan to increase the number to seven or eight next year." Additionally, the organization intends to broaden its cleanup efforts higher up the mountain, focusing on Camp IV and other locations where waste has built up over time. The existing rules that require climbers to leave eight kilograms of trash at Everest Base Camp are supplemented by the ranger program. Climbers are also required to make a $4,000 garbage deposit, which can only be refunded if the requirements for waste management are met.
Nepal is now thinking about taking even more severe measures. The government has proposed legislation that would transform the refundable garbage deposit into a non-refundable environmental fee in response to an order issued by the Supreme Court in 2024 directing authorities to discover sustainable solutions for mountain conservation and climber safety. The money would be used to help long-term cleanup efforts and programs to protect the environment in mountain areas. Additionally, the government has significantly increased royalty rates. The spring permit fee for foreign climbers using the south route has increased from $11,000 to $15,000 per person under revised regulations. However, for Ngima Wangchu, the battle against Everest's garbage crisis often boils down to being seen. Climbers now know that someone will be watching when they descend as they progress through Camp II on
their way to the summit.
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