India, Dec. 22 -- The Nepalese government has launched a comprehensive five-year Everest Cleaning Action Plan to tackle the growing problem of waste accumulation on the world's highest peak.

The plan was unveiled amid mounting criticism that Mount Everest has effectively been turned into a dumping ground due to unchecked human activity.

Experts told the newspaper that the sheer volume of waste recovered during each climbing season underscores the urgent need for more sustainable mountaineering practices.

Tons of waste left behind by climbers and Sherpas - including discarded oxygen canisters, plastic bottles, ropes, food waste and human excreta - have severely polluted Everest's high-altitude environment.

"The government has decided t...