Kathmandu: The amount of trash being collected from Mount Everest and its surrounding area is not funny.
In order to highlight the need to prevent the world’s tallest mountain (8,848.86 metre or 29,032 feet) from turning into a dumping site, used oxygen bottles, torn tents, ropes, broken ladders, cans and plastic wrappers discarded by climbers and trekkers will be transformed into some form of art and displayed in a nearby gallery, according to Reuters.
Foreign and local artists will be engaged to create artwork from waste materials and locals will be trained 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,” said Tommy Gustafsson, project director and co-founder of the Sagarmatha Next Centre in Nepal.
“We hope to change people’s perceptions about the garbage and manage it,” he remarked.
The Centre is located at Syangboche, at an altitude of 3,780 metres on the main trail to the Everest base camp.
Artwork will be on display to raise environmental awareness, Some products will also be sold as souvenirs with the proceeds going towards conservation of the region.
Each returning tourist and guide will be requested to take a bag containing 1 kg of garbage back to Lukla airport, from where the trash will be airlifted to Kathmandu.
