Mount Everest may be the world’s highest mountain, but it’s also often referred to as the “world’s highest garbage dump.” That’s because it attracts about 60,000 visitors annually, and they leave a significant footprint behind: The 2024 spring climbing season alone produced around 94 tons of waste. Typically, Sherpas—Himalayan people with exceptional mountaineering skills who often act as guides—have had to handle waste removal. That often puts them in dangerous situations, including crossing areas where there’s a high risk of avalanches. But officials have a new plan to tackle the problem. Starting early this year, heavy-lifter drones will begin a massive cleanup of Everest. The drones can lift more than 500 pounds of trash per hour, a task that would take 14 people six hours. While some worry about job losses, Dawa Steven Sherpa* of adventure company Asian Trekking believes the drones will allow Sherpas to focus more on assisting climbers. “The use of drones on Everest,” he told ExplorersWeb, “is a natural evolution of technology applied to Himalayan mountaineering.”