A Nepalese drone technology company has used UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) on Mount Everest to transport crucial mountaineering equipment up perilous crevasses and then using the same drones to transport trash back down the mountain.

Koshi Province

Mount Everest, often referred to as the world's highest garbage dump, has accumulated an estimated 50 metric tonnes of trash due to decades of climbing and insufficient regulations. Nepal-based Airlift Technology has introduced drones to help address this issue, using them to deliver essential supplies up the mountain and remove waste on the return journey.

Following successful trials, the company reported that over one metric tonne of trash was removed between March and May 2025. The drones, capable of carrying up to 33 pounds, significantly reduce the time and risk involved in transporting equipment and waste, especially through hazardous areas like the Khumbu Icefall. This innovation has been welcomed by mountaineers and is seen as a valuable addition to ongoing clean-up efforts on Everest.

Drones tackle Everest’s trash crisis, hauling gear up and garbage down

It's often called the world's highest garbage dump. Some estimate 50 metric tonnes of trash remain on Mount Everest due to decades of climbing and lax regulations. But these unmanned aerial vehicles are being utilised to try and clean up one of the world's most remote locations. Nepal-based Airlift Technology is addressing the crisis by deploying drones to deliver both supplies up the mountain and then remove waste on the way down. After successful trials in 2024, the company estimates it removed over one metric tonne of trash between March and May 2025. Here's co-founder Milan Pandey. The main intention of course was bringing the garbage because tons and tons of garbage are in Mount Everest, which means this was our main motive to have a drone delivered in Mount Everest. The drones made by a Chinese manufacturer are capable of quickly transporting up to 33 pounds of critical supplies, including oxygen bottles, ladders and ropes. Because the interesting thing is, from base camp to camp one, it takes seven to nine hours for climbers to reach, and our drone can reach over there within three minutes. That helps Sherpas climb difficult sections of the mountain, such as the Khumbu Icefall, a perilous passage riddled with crevasses and icefall, without carrying large amounts of equipment. It's a welcome innovation for Nepalese mountaineer Nima Rinji Sherpa. I think this is very interesting and very good in a way because it is humanly impossible to bring all the trash down by carrying through the Khumbu Icefall to the South Pole. So I think yes, right now we're using these drones by Airlift Technology, which is very innovative in a way that it also saves people's lives and it makes everyone easier to bring down the trash. While other Everest clean-up operations are ongoing, Airlift Technology hopes drones will provide a new tool in efforts to tackle the mountain's trash scourge.

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