Mt. Everest is laden with waste left by climbers — Nepal's Department of Tourism estimates that there are nearly 140,000 tons. Now, some of that material is finding its way to Tharu craftswomen who combine discarded ropes with moonj, a traditionally harvested wild grass, to make boxes and mats. NPR's Tanka Dhakal explains more about how the program works, and how its organizers hope it will grow.
@thepoliticalcat Agreed, white tourists and "explorers" leaving their waste there, and exploiting local folk in other ways too, is grim. The article was written by a Nepalese journalist and does highlight that the program is small scale. It also gives more context on the type of waste that people are dealing with, which includes human waste, food remnants, cooking and oxygen gas cylinders, mountaineering gears, ropes and tents. Sorry it (or our caption) missed the mark for you.
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