With the number of Everest Expedition teams and trekkers visiting the base camp growing, piles of wastes lying here and there in the base camp, as well as the expedition route to Mount Everest, are growing.

At a time when the need to clean the Everest area is getting acute, a group of French mountaineers and Sherpas have completed the “Everest Green” project, successfully recovering five tons of waste from the world's rooftop.

Nepal’s mountaineering community celebrated the first conquest 64 years ago of Mount Everest on 29 May with the first successful Everest climb by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay, who made it to the top in 1953.

French association “Montagne et Partage”  organized an ambitious Everest cleaning campaign dubbed “Everest Green”.  Their 40-day mission started on April 13 and ended on May 23 by recovering 5 tons of waste from the Everest between Base Camp (5300m) and the South Col (7906m).

Out of 5 tons, 2 tons were sent to Namche for incineration whereas 3 tons of recyclable waste is being brought to Kathmandu by road for further processing/treatment. Amongst the waste that the group recovered, majority were aluminum, nylon cords, textiles, scrap waste, batteries, plastic objects etc.  Their project, which costs Euros 150,000.00, is entirely financed by “Montagne et Partage's own resources.

In honor of the expedition group and their efforts in helping clean Everest, the Ambassador of France, Yves Carmona hosted a reception at the Residence of France during which the expedition group talked about their project and also presented the Ambassador with a symbolic expedition flag.

Ambassador Carmona recalled the common relationship between Nepal and France around mountains and highlighted the need to raise environmental awareness amongst the relevant stakeholders as a long-term solution.

 About “Montagne et Partage”:  Montagne & Partage is a French association which aims to provide all forms of humanitarian aid to the needy people in mountain areas, in the fields of education, health, the environment, and economic development.  For them, the mountains represent one of the finest schools of life; that of humility and sharing, that of universal brotherhood.

Addressing the program Gérard Clermidy, President of “Montagne et Partage”, said every year over 800,000 tourists visit Nepal and 1500 people reach base camp each season. Out of them, 400 reach the summit. “And all will leave the mark behind on the top of the world.”

 “We found long ropes on the path to top left for years.  Mineral water bottles, metals. Our effort was to decontaminate Everest,” said French mountaineer Gérard Clermidy.

Along with this, these climbers leave a lot of wastes, degradable and non-degradable, including plastic, cane, foods and others annually, ropes, cylinders and other equipment there.