Trash And Refuse Continues To Build Up Near Everest Base Camp

EVEREST BASE CAMP, NEPAL - OCTOBER 13: An abandoned, dented and stickered waste collection bin outside Everest Base Camp on October 13, 2024 in Nepal. The growing popularity of trekking in Nepal has resulted in various forms of pollution spoiling the fragile ecosystem. Gorakshep is the last human settlement on the Nepal side before trekkers arrive at Everest Base Camp just 3.5km away. Here, waste management issues due to trekking tourism are apparent with plastic bottles and debris from lodges and restaurants dumped just meters from the town centre. Early in the autumn trekking season, Everest Base Camp itself also shows signs of waste mismanagement. (Photo by Mailee Osten-Tan/Getty Images)