Kathmandu: In an attempt to save Mount Everest from trash, the Nepal Government conducted a month-long cleaning campaign by collecting over 10,000 kg of rubbish from the region.
The historical mega clean-up campaign coordinated by government and non-government agencies by mobilizing a dedicated Sherpa team from the base camp to four higher camps, not only collected waste but also removed four dead bodies from the roof of the world, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.
The collected trash was segregated, processed and recycled as raw materials for various products.
“We segregated the collected materials in different categories like plastic, glass, iron, aluminium and textile. Among 10 tonnes of waste received, two tonnes have been recycled while the remaining eight were soil mixed with wrappers and semi-burned items, which could not be recycled,” Nabin Bikash Maharjan, the head of Blue Waste to Value, told Xinhua.
The company does not recycle the materials itself but has collaborated with another firm called Moware Designs to create up-cycled glass bottle products and to sell them online.
Ujen Wangmo Lepcha from Moware Designs shared that the unique, colourful and artistic glass products are a trend recently for home, offices, restaurants and hotels. They are used as decorative items as a flower vase, candle cover, plates, travel cups, regular drinking glasses or as an accessory.
“Basically these waste products have no value in the market, so we are trying to add value and trying to reduce the waste from landfill. The products are environment-friendly and full of art,” Lepcha told Xinhua.
He further informed that these products, which range from 350 Nepalese rupees to 2,000 Nepalese rupees (USD 3 to USD 18), are bacteria free as they are sterilized.
The same glass items have also been a means of livelihood for many local women who shape the trash into trendy designs.
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Ms Kalinga