A major cleanup is underway as China limits the number of climbers on Mount Everest

Due to China's plan to conduct a large-scale cleanup of the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, the number of climbers allowed to ascend from the north side this year will be reduced by one-third. It is reported that the total number of climbers permitted to scale the mountain from the north will be capped at 300, and the climbing season will be limited to spring only.

It has been noted that around 60,000 climbers and guides visit the Chinese side of Mount Everest each year. With the sharp increase in climbers, the amount of waste on both the northern and southern slopes of Everest has grown substantially. Climbers have complained that the slopes are now littered with discarded oxygen bottles and trash. Authorities on both sides of the mountain have introduced measures to tackle the massive amount of waste generated by climbers.

Chinese officials said last summer that they had cleared 8.5 tons of garbage, including a large amount of human waste. In the past, the Indian army has removed tons of waste from the Nepalese side of Mount Everest. On the southern side of Everest, expedition organizers have been distributing large garbage bags to climbers since last spring, which are then collected and transported back to base camp by helicopter.

Every spring and autumn, thousands of climbing enthusiasts flock to the mountain. According to statistics from the non-profit organization “Himalayan Database,” a total of 648 people successfully reached the summit of Everest in 2017, 202 of whom approached from the northern, Chinese side. Everest claims the lives of many climbers each year, often in the “death zone” above 8,000 meters, where the air is extremely thin and it is difficult to sustain human life.

The growing number of people attempting to climb Everest has raised concerns about overcrowding on the mountain and the risks faced by inexperienced climbers. Experienced mountaineers often complain that novice climbers, eager to reach the summit, disregard others and push forward, often causing “traffic jams” on the climbing routes.