Nepal to transform Mount Everest trash into art to raise environmental awareness
- Mount Everest has been described as the world’s highest garbage dump, with climbers discarding oxygen bottles, ropes and other waste
- The Sagarmatha Next Centre aims to upcycle this into art to generate income for locals and change perceptions about garbage and how to manage it
Used oxygen bottles, torn tents, ropes, broken ladders, cans and plastic wrappers discarded by climbers and trekkers litter the 8,848.86 metre (29,032 feet) peak and the surrounding areas.
Tommy Gustafsson, project director and a co-founder of the Sagarmatha Next Centre – a visitors’ information centre and waste upcycling facility – said foreign and local artists will be engaged in creating artwork from waste materials and train locals to turn trash into treasures.
“We want to showcase how you can transform solid waste to precious pieces of art … and generate employment and income,” Gustafsson said. “We hope to change the people’s perceptions about the garbage and manage it.”
The centre is located at an altitude of 3,780 metres at Syangboche on the main trail to Everest base camp, two days’ walk from Lukla, the gateway to the mountain.
It is due for “soft opening” to locals in the spring as the number of visitors could be limited this year due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, Gustafsson said.