Towering at over 8,848 meters (29,028 ft), Mt. Everest is considered the highest point on Earth. And being able to reach its summit has been one of man's greatest source of pride and glory. Mt. Everest, or Sagarmatha (Sanskrit for "Goddess of the Sky"), is one of the favorite destinations for people who desire to conquer the roof of the world.

For so many years now, large number of trekkers and climbers flock to the Himalayan Regions to conquer the goddess. It boosted Nepal's tourism economy especially for the locals who found a source of livelihood by providing a wide array of services (like being guides) to these climbers. But tourism for Nepal did not flourished without a toll. Mt. Everest has been suffering from environmental problems, mainly due to the trash and pollution that were left behind by people who troop to the region.

Garbage is one of the serious problems that Mt. Everest is currently facing. The pile of trash in Mt. Everest includes an interesting mix of plastics, aluminum cans, empty oxygen tanks, glass, clothes, climbing equipments like tents, paper, food, and dead bodies. Some climbers are even reporting to have found bloody syringes and other medical wastes. The non-biodegradable wastes are the main concern since they do not decompose. To add to the problem, the extreme condition of the surroundings has the ability to preserve biodegradable materials like dead human bodies.

One of the suggestions is to limit the climbing permits, thus reducing the number of people who will be able to visit the site. But the ethnic group in the area who benefit most from the tourism oppose this idea. The Sherpas claimed that this would take away their livelihood and if this happens, their families would starve.

Prakash Sharma, director of Friends of the Earth Nepal, further assessed the situation, "Twenty to forty thousand of these people attempt, at some altitude, to ascend the mountains of the Himalayas, including thousands who will at least trek to the foot of Everest. There is no infrastructure in this region to cope with the pollution this many people generate, and as a result the Nepali Himalayas have become the highest junkyard in the world."