Nepalese Start-Up Deploys Drones To Remove Rubbish From Mount Everest
A drone successfully completed a delivery test at an altitude of over 6,000 metres (19,685 feet) while carrying a 15-kilogramme (33-pound) payload, according to Airlift Technology's website.
"The maximum payload tested at Everest Base Camp was 32 kilogrammes (70.5 pounds)," the company said, adding the delivery of rubbish from Camp 1 to the base camp was also "tested and found to be successful."
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The project is being conducted with the cooperation of the Khumbu Pasang Lamhu Rural Municipality, where Mount Everest is located, and China-based DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer.
Everest Base Camp and Camp 1 are separated by the Khumbu Icefall, "one of the most perilous stages of the ascent," DJI said in a statement, adding that "while helicopters can theoretically make the same journey, they are rarely used due to the significant dangers and costs."
The Chinese company also said that each climber is estimated to leave 8 kilogrammes (17.6 pounds) of rubbish behind on Everest.
The agreement that the Cimex BYD Charity Foundation (CBCF) and Airlift Technology have signed foresees the clean-up of more than 1,000 kilogrammes (2,204 pounds) of waste this season.
The Nepalese government has been launching initiatives every year since 2019 to clean the mountain.
By 2024, Nepal's efforts to clean Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks resulted in the collection of 119 tonnes of waste and the recovery of 14 human bodies and several skeletons.
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