Nepal has officially introduced a landmark five-year strategy aimed at restoring the ecological balance of the Himalayas and addressing the growing garbage crisis on Mount Everest. Endorsed by the cabinet, the “Action Plan to Keep the Mountains Clean (2025–2029)” represents a shift from temporary cleanup drives to a permanent, technology-driven management system. This plan comes at a critical time, as melting snow has made decades of abandoned waste including tents, oxygen bottles, and even human remain increasingly visible to the world.
A central component of the new strategy is the implementation of a sophisticated waste-tracking system. Every expedition team will now be required to submit a detailed inventory of their equipment before starting their climb. To ensure accountability, a temporary waste collection center is being established at Camp 2 on Mount Everest. Every climber will be mandatory required to bring back a minimum quantity of waste to this station, which serves as a vital checkpoint above the dangerous Khumbu Icefall.
To modernize the cleanup process and reduce the physical risk to human porters, Nepal is officially integrating heavy-lift drone technology. Over the next five years, feasibility studies and pilot tests will use drones to extract garbage from high-altitude camps where oxygen levels are low and human movement is restricted.
This technological leap is expected to move hundreds of kilograms of trash in a fraction of the time it would take a traditional Sherpa team. Furthermore, the plan introduces mandatory GPS tracking for all climbers, which will not only enhance safety and rescue operations but also assist in the location and respectful recovery of human remains lost in previous years.
Perhaps most significantly, the document addresses the controversial issue of “traffic jams” by establishing a legal framework to determine the carrying capacity of the mountains. The government plans to regulate the number of climbers and the timing of expeditions to prevent congestion during the narrow weather windows available for summiting. While local tourism stakeholders have expressed concern over potential revenue loss, the government emphasizes that maintaining the environmental integrity of the 28 mountain ranges which serve as the source for over 6,000 rivers is essential for the long-term survival of Nepal’s tourism industry.
Under the new plan, stricter waste management protocols will be integrated into the mandatory pre-climb briefings. Expedition leaders and liaison officers must now provide written commitments to adhere to “zero-garbage” initiatives. By replacing the old refundable deposit system with more direct oversight and utilizing modern tools, Nepal hopes to send a clear message to the international community that its iconic peaks are no longer open-air landfills, but protected natural wonders being managed with 21st-century precision.