Everest needs better policing, says US mountain guide

A renowned US mountain guide, who recently achieved the rare feat of climbing Mount Everest and two nearby peaks in less than three weeks, said on May 30 that Nepal needs to do a better job of policing the world's highest mountain to save it from garbage.

Garrett Madison, 44, climbed the 8,849 m Everest for the 13th time last week, said its higher camps were littered with torn tents, food wrappers and empty oxygen bottles discarded by climbers.

We need to find better ways to bring the waste down, he said in the Nepali capital Kathmandu.

We need better policing to check that every team brings down its garbage. It is a prerequisite for climbers to bring their waste down from the mountain and claim back a $4,000 deposit from the government.

The expedition organisers and hiking officials say tracking camp near 8,000 metres, 26246 feet high, was both difficult and ineffective.

This year, authorities collected 13 tonnes of litter from Everest and the nearby Lhotse peak, as part of a campaign to keep the mountains clean.