Mt. Everest Climbers Ordered to Bring Back Their Poop
Authorities in Nepal has ordered the Everest climbers to buy specialized poop bags, pick up their own poop & bring it back to the base camp to keep Mt. Everest is clean & stink-free.
Mount (Mt.) Everest is the highest mountain peak in the world. Many mountain climbers dream of climbing Mt. Everest despite the harsh and hostile conditions it offers. As of December 2023, a total of 6,664 different people have climbed Mt. Everest and reached the summit (highest point). Climbing a mountain, that too the highest peak of the world, requires a next level of courage. But have you ever thought, how those climbers survive in extreme conditions and more importantly, how do they carry out their day-to-day body functions? When mountaineers are at the base camp, they have access to separate toilet tents but during climbing, they have to dig holes in the snow to poop. Once they go higher, due to less snow, they have to poop in the open. According to the data, a climber produces over 250 grams of fecal waste per day and the climbers spend around two weeks on the summit attempt. Imagine how much poop that is! But wait, the situation gets worse. Due to extreme temperatures, the human waste does not fully decompose and this is now causing huge hygiene & stink problems. Therefore, the chairman of Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality of Nepal, Mingma Sherpa has ordered the Everest climbers to buy poop bags before starting their journey, pick up their own poop and bring it back to the base camp in those bags. During the announcement of this new rule, Sherpa said “our mountains have begun to stink. We are getting complaints that human stools are visible on rocks and some climbers are falling sick. This is not acceptable and erodes our image.” Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) of Nepal along the municipality is procuring 8,000 specialized poop bags from the US for the upcoming climbing season of March. These specialized poop bags contain special chemicals and powders that solidify human waste and make it largely odorless. These specialized poop bags will be used by over 400 climbers and 800 support staff during their journey to the summit & back and will help keep the highest mountain peak of the world clean and stink-free.
