Tri-Haut pour l’Everest : recycling waste from the roof of the world

Since 2021, we have been partners of the Tri-Haut pour l'Everest project, an association of students from the Grenoble INP - Ense3 engineering school, whose aim is to collect, process and recover plastic waste from the Everest region of Nepal. They have chosen the village of Pangboche, at an altitude of 4,000 metres, as the location for their first waste recycling centre, as well as a place to raise awareness. It's a project that deserves everyone's support.

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Find out more about Tri-haut pour l'Everest.

Awareness-raising centre for trekkers in Pangboche

It all began in 2019, when three students from Grenoble INP - Ense3 saw the film Everest Green by Jean-Michel Jorda at the Rencontres Ciné-Montagne festival in Grenoble. This brought them into contact with the director and a number of people involved in high mountain climbing in the Himalayas, who raised their awareness of environmental issues. They then founded Tri-Haut pour l’Everest, with the aim of setting up an infrastructure to treat and recycle plastic waste in the Khumbu region.

While the collection still needs to be organised, in 2024 the students will be concentrating on technical trials for the treatment and recovery of plastic waste. They are also working on the architecture of a place that will combine the technical side, sales, reception and awareness-raising for the local public and trekkers passing through Pangboche.

They are counting on us to help them financially and have set up a fund for this project.

Sketch of the centre © Tri Haut pour l'Everest

Treatment and recovery of plastic waste

After a great deal of technical research, the project is now focusing on the installation of a shredder that will then feed two machines: a Sheetpress, which will recycle certain plastics into sheets that can be used as building materials. Secondly, a plastic injection moulding machine to create personalised objects made from recycled plastic and linked to the region's culture, which will be sold locally.

Over the next four months, Clémence, Pierre and Arthur will be testing the recycling machines, the Sheetpress and then the injection moulding machine. This phase will also enable them to meet their various working partners.

Setting up an awareness centre on the Route to Everest

They have found a plot of land on which to build the technical centre, located in the village of Pangboche, the last village before the Everest base camp. The technical centre will also include a tea room, which will serve as a reception and educational area for hikers visiting the centre.

The team of architects is currently in Kathmandu. They are finalising the execution plans for the building, placing orders for materials and ensuring that everything is in place for the next four months on site.

Arthur, Laurène, Clémence and Pierre in Katmandu © Tri Haut pour l'Everest

Waste collection for technical tests

Next May, Breffni Bolze will be taking a team to collect an initial volume of plastic waste to test the effectiveness of the reprocessing tool. The collection will take place around the valley and the Everest and Ama Dablam base camps. For the record, Breffni, along with Philippe Goitschel, was behind the project to clean up the Mustagh Ata base and altitude camps at 7,546 metres, in August 2019, with Expeditions Unlimited.

Full team at Mustagh Ata in 2016 © Breffni Bolze

Join the next Everest climb via the Nepalese South Face or the North Tibet side.