Due to the Amount of Human Poop on Everest, Authorities Impose New Regulations for Mountaineers

About three tonnes of human excrement litter the highest mountain in the world. Now, mountaineers must carry their faeces throughout the entire route.

Monte Everest.
Mount Everest becomes an open-air bath for climbers.

Starting this season, those who venture to climb Everest must carry a special bag in which to defecate, and keep it until they complete the descent of the mountain.

The new measure comes to solve a peculiar and disgusting problem: climbers poop in the open and it is estimated that there are about 3 tonnes of human excrement scattered along the emblematic mountain. Everest, the top of the world, welcomes hundreds of mountaineers every season.

While they remain at the base camp, they attend to their physiological needs in tents that function as bathrooms, with barrels prepared to store excrement.

But when they begin the ascent, logistics become complicated. Some dig wells, but as you go up the mountain, the baths become "open-air."

It is estimated that a large part of the waste is in the South Col area, at 7,906 metres high, the last milestone before taking the path to the summit.

Because at these altitudes there is little snow and temperatures can reach -42 °C, according to authorities, the place has become a “large open-air bathroom,” where human excrement does not degrade and is exposed on the floors. stones.

Everest
Debris on Everest worries Nepalese authorities.

The non-governmental organisation Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) estimates that there are more than three tonnes of human excrement between the base of Everest and camp four, towards the summit. This panorama has been getting worse.

"We receive complaints that human faeces are seen on the rocks and that some climbers are getting sick. This is not acceptable and erodes our image," said Mingma Sherpa, president of Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality.

Bags to store excrement

The Control Committee that manages the Mount acquired 8,000 bags to store excrement, which will be distributed among visitors and support staff during this season. The bags contain chemicals and powders that solidify the excrement and deodorise it.

From now on, each climber must carry these special bags and have them with them throughout the entire route, including the entire descent.

It is estimated that each person “produces” 250 grams of poop per day, and only the last section of Everest takes about 14 days to climb. This is more than 3.5 kilos that each expedition member must carry on their return to base. "We want to provide them with two bags, each of which they can use five to six times," Chhiring Sherpa explained.

"It is certainly a positive thing and we will be happy to do our part to make this a success," said Dambar Parajuli, president of the Nepal Expedition Operators Association.