Drones on Everest: How Drones are Helping to Tackle Waste in Nepal’s Himalayas

Drones are currently being used in Nepal to collect waste from the Asian mountain range. This is the first time that Nepalese authorities have utilized drones for this purpose, with previous efforts relying on Sherpas and members of the army to transport garbage through hazardous icefalls. The use of drones has the potential to alleviate the burden on these individuals, who risk their lives to transport waste.

The accumulation of waste on Everest has led it to be referred to as the highest garbage dump in the world. To address this issue, the Nepalese government implemented measures in 2014 requiring climbers to descend from the peak with at least 8 kg of garbage or risk losing a $4,000 deposit. Other rules, such as using chips to locate climbers and requiring feces collection, have also been established. Despite these regulations, implementation has been lacking due to a lack of liaison officers on the ground.

Nepal partnered with The NeverRest Project in 2023 to mobilize mountain specialists and climbers to tackle the waste issue on Everest. While Nepal has announced numerous regulations for mountain climbing in the past, their implementation has been lacking in some cases due to a lack of liaison officers on the ground.

Innovative solutions like utilizing drones by organizations such as Ellipsis Earth offer hope for addressing plastic pollution crises. By mapping locations of plastic waste using drones equipped with cameras, Ellipsis gathers crucial information that could contribute towards combating pollution and waste accumulation. This demonstrates that technology like drones can be utilized beyond military applications for environmental purposes and opens up new avenues for addressing environmental challenges effectively.

Similar efforts are being made in Peru where commercial use of drones has increased over years from topography and mapping to surveillance, construction inspections, disaster prevention and more, highlighting their civil potential.

Overall, utilizing innovative solutions like drone technology can help address environmental challenges effectively in hard-to-reach areas such as mountains where human intervention may pose risks or be difficult due to logistical constraints.