Mt. Amadablam Cleanup Campaign 2018
The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) and Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality (KPLRM) jointly conducted the first cleanup campaign on Mt. Ama Dablam in November 2018. Ama Dablam is one of the most spectacular mountains in the world. Situated in the heart of Khumbu Region, the 6,812 m tall Mt. Ama Dablam is the second most popular mountain for climbing in the Region after Mt. Everest. With its popularity among the climbing communities, the problem of littering on Mt. Ama Dablam is also increasing, especially along the climbing route from Ama Dablam base camp to the summit.
The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee mobilized a team of 10 members comprising of climbing experienced Sherpas from Phortse and Pangboche villages for the cleanup campaign. Mr. Palden Namgay Sherpa, executive board member of SPCC together with Mr. Pasang Norbu Sherpa, member of KPLRM jointly led the cleanup team. The two weeks long cleanup campaign collected a total of 775 kgs discarded garbage including tents, ropes, oxygen cylinders and human body remains from Mt. Ama Dablam. The Shree Shamsher Gulma (Nepal Army), Namche also participated in the cleanup campaign by providing volunteer service in bringing down the garbage from Ama Dablam Base Camp to our waste management facility at Namche Bazaar. The cleanup campaign was organized by SPCC and funded by Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality.
Mt. Everest Cleanup Campaign 2019
The “Mt. Everest Clean-Up Campaign – 2019” is the largest joint cleanup initiative made to retrieve discarded garbage and dead bodies from Mt. Everest. Themed “Clean Our Pride”, the campaign aims to preserve the sanctity of the world’s highest mountain and keep it pristine. The campaign was jointly organized by Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA); Department of Tourism; Ministry of Forests and Environment; Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation; Nepali Army, Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forests and Environment - Province no. 1; Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality (KPLRM); Sagarmatha National Park; Sagarmatha National Park Buffer Zone Management Committee; Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA); Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC). The campaign was supported by Coca Cola Foundation, Bottlers Nepal, WWF Nepal, Visit Nepal 2020, Prabhu Bank Limited, Nabil Bank Limited, NMB Bank Limited, Sonam Gear and Tara Air.
The campaign collected a total of 4,692 kgs (4.7 tons) garbage from Mt. Everest and a total of 5,694 kgs (5.6 tons) garbage from EBC and its foothills. The cleanup campaign was also successful in retrieving four dead bodies of climbers from Mt. Everest.In addition to retrieving garbage and dead bodies, the campaign created a platform for all three tiers government (central, provincial and local), the Nepali Army, non-profits organizations such as SPCC, NMA and WWF Nepal, and corporate companies, such as Coca Cola, commercial banks and airlines having common interest in saving the mountains to come together and work collectively to preserve the pristine environment of the Himalayas.
