Alpinist Marion Chaygneaud-Dupuy Organizes Annual Clean-Up To Help Remove Rubbish From Mount Everest

Man-made waste has threatened not only our oceans but also our mountains. With a mission to clean up the highest mountain in the world, alpinist Marion Chaygneaud-Dupuy organized an annual initiative to remove tons of rubbish on the slopes of Mount Everest. The 39-year-old mountain climber and her team are actively working to collect tons of trash left behind by mountaineers who attempted to summit the iconic mountain.

Being a nature lover as a kid and intensely fascinated by mountains, Marion traveled to Tibet at 21 years old to see the Himalayan mountain range for herself. She instantly fell in love with the place and has lived there since. And for 18 years, she worked as a mountain guide and has already summited Mount Everest three times. Following the Tibetan expedition in 2013, Marion discovered the shocking amount of waste on the mountainside brought about by over 30 years of human expeditions.

Himalayan Mountain Guide Marion Chaygneaud-Dupuy Organized Annual Expeditions To Clean Up Mount Everest

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Bearing the highest peak on earth, Mount Everest has served as the ultimate goal for all professional mountain climbers. By the end of 2016, there were over 7,000 expeditions recorded. And the number is expected to increase over the years as the iconic mountain becomes more and more popular as an attraction. As the number of people attempting to reach the top increases, the accumulation of waste on the mountainside also becomes more alarming. A single expedition consists of a team of climbers who spend weeks on the mountain. During that time, each climber throws away around 20 lbs of trash which eventually gets left behind.

“Climbing Everest should offer one of the purest interactions between humans and the natural world.”, Marion said. “But in 2013, when I reached the top, I realized that the mountain had been damaged by 30 years of expeditions. I estimated that nearly 10 tonnes of waste had been discarded at the peaks alone! I was utterly shocked.”

The ‘Clean Everest’ Project

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Working together with 50 Tibetan mountain guides, Marion initiated the ‘Clean Everest’ project in 2016. The massive clean-up drive was also participated by 100 Chinese and foreign volunteer climbers with the local authorities donating 50 yaks to carry the waste down the mountain. Since 2016, the team has removed a whopping 8.5 tons of trash on the icy mountain. Her effort was recognized worldwide and was awarded the 2019 ‘Terre de Femmes’ by the ‘Fondation Yves Rocher’.

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Marion’s initiative to clean up Mount Everest isn’t just to restore the former glory of the majestic mountain. Pollution affecting the Himalayas could potentially pollute the water sources which provide drinking water to around 2 billion people in the Chinese and Indian regions. The ‘Clean Everest’ project aims to prevent this catastrophe by removing these accumulated wastes before they can do damage.