As a means of reducing the amount of waste generated by would-be Everest summiters, Nepalese authorities have announced a ban on plastic bottles and single-use plastics under 30 microns (0.03 millimetres, or 0.0012 inches) thick in the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu municipality.
“It will help keep our region, the Everest and the mountains clean long term,” Ganesh Ghimire, chief administrative officer of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu rural municipality told AFP.
Effective January 2020, the ban will be jointly implemented and enforced by airlines, trekking companies and the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
As of yet, no penalty has been announced for violators and the ban will not apply to water bottles.
“We are consulting with all sides about what can be done about plastic water bottles,” Ghimire told CNN. “We will soon find a solution for that.”
