A scheme to encourage climbers to bring their waste down from Mount Everest is being scrapped - with Nepalese authorities telling the BBC it has been a failure.
Climbers had been required to pay a deposit of $4,000 (£2964), which they would only get back if they brought at least 8kg (18lbs) of waste back down with them.
It was hoped it would begin to tackle the rubbish problem on the world's highest peak, which is estimated to be covered in some 50 tonnes of waste.
But after 11 years - and with the rubbish still piling up - the scheme is being shelved because it 'failed to show a tangible result'.
Himal Gautam, director at the tourism department, told the BBC that not only had the garbage issue not gone away, but the deposit scheme itself had become an administrative burden.
Authorities have indicated that most of the deposit money has been refunded over the years, suggesting climbers generally did return with their trash. However, the waste returned was primarily from lower camps, while more significant pollution issues persisted at higher elevations.
Tshering Sherpa, CEO of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, noted climbers often only brought back oxygen bottles, leaving behind larger items like tents and food containers.
Under the revised plans, a non-refundable clean-up fee will be imposed on climbers, earmarked for enhanced monitoring and clean-up efforts at Everest.
The new regulations are expected to provide a dedicated fund to improve waste management on the mountain, a concern heightened by the increasing popularity of trekking in Nepal.
