Nepalese authorities are scrapping a waste deposit scheme designed to encourage climbers to remove garbage from Mount Everest, citing its ineffectiveness after 11 years. Climbers were required to pay a $4,000 deposit, refundable upon returning at least 8 kilograms (18 pounds) of waste.

The scheme, intended to address the estimated 50 tonnes of waste littering the world's highest peak, failed to produce significant results, according to Himal Gautam, director at the tourism department. Gautam told the BBC that the garbage issue persisted and the deposit scheme had become an administrative burden.

Introduced over a decade ago, the initiative aimed to incentivize climbers to clean up after themselves and previous expeditions. Clean-up campaigns have typically concentrated on lower camps due to the logistical challenges and high costs associated with operating at higher altitudes, according to David Liano, an expert on Everest.

Tourism ministry and mountaineering department officials stated that the scheme's failure highlighted the difficulties in managing waste on Everest. The deposit refund process proved cumbersome, and monitoring compliance was challenging.

The decision to abandon the deposit scheme signals a need for new strategies to tackle the growing environmental problem on Everest. The Nepalese government is now exploring alternative approaches to waste management on the mountain, though specific details have not yet been released. The focus is expected to shift towards more comprehensive and sustainable solutions, potentially involving stricter regulations and increased support for organized clean-up expeditions.