Tons of trash removed from Everest as cleanup unearths bodies

Mount Everest is covered in trash. Decades of climbing on the world's highest mountain have turned it into a very tall garbage dump, strewn with rubbish, human waste and even bodies. But a dedicated -- and impressively fit -- team of volunteers are tackling the problem by carrying out one of the world's most ambitious clean-ups, and it's seeing immediate results.
Three metric tons (6,613 pounds) of garbage have been collected from the mountain in just the first two weeks of the scheme, according to AFP. That's about the weight of two SUVs, or a large male hippo.
The task is being carried out by a 14-member team, which has been set the task of recovering 10 metric tons within 45 days, the agency reported.
Waste recovered on the Everest Cleaning Campaign includes empty cans, bottles, plastic and discarded climbing gear. An army helicopter has assisted in removing the garbage, and the team is set to ascend to higher camps to collect more.
Four bodies have also been located on the 8,848-meter (29,028 feet) mountain, officials said.
"Our team has now reached the Everest Base Camp for the cleaning campaign. All the necessary things including food, water and shelter have already been arranged there," Dandu Raj Ghimire, director general of Nepal's Tourism Department, told reporters on Sunday, according to The Himalayan Times.
The Nepalese government and local communities have long been wrestling with the problem of waste on the mountain, as climbers from across the world travel to the country every year to attempt to ascend its summit.