Nepal Forces Mount Everest Climbers to Double as Trash Collectors

Leave no trace is a motto for many hikers – but not for those who attempt the treacherous climb of Mount Everest. “There are empty oxygen cylinders, tent debris, batteries and climbing gear -- not to mention human refuse and the bodies of fallen climbers, whose corpses don’t decompose in the permanently frozen highlands,” reports Mark Johanson for International Business Times, adding that Nepal will “ force all mountaineers to double as trash collectors beginning April 1.” Nepal already refuses to return a $4,000 deposit if climbers can’t prove they carried back their own supplies; an extra 8 kilograms of trash left by previous expeditions – an extra load equal to eight hefty books – now must also be retrieved. A new office will inspect gear and trash. Slashed fees will draw more climbers. Observers expect the trash law to place more responsibilities on Sherpa guides, but it could lead to more jobs, too. – YaleGlobal