WWF Nepal and the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) on Tuesday held an inception workshop for the Swachya Sagarmatha: Sustainable Waste Management for Clean Himalaya Project, bringing together government representatives, local authorities, development partners, and community organizations.

The three-year project aims to strengthen sustainable waste management systems, including the handling of electronic waste, across Sagarmatha National Park and its buffer zone. The initiative will be implemented by WWF Nepal in partnership with SPCC, the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, the Sagarmatha National Park Office, the Buffer Zone Management Committee, and local waste management groups. It is funded by the Thomas L Kempner Jr Foundation and aligns with the rural municipality’s Environmental Pollution Control and Sustainable Waste Management Plan 2023.

The workshop discussed project priorities and explored approaches for long-term, community-based waste management solutions in the Khumbu region. With tourist arrivals increasing from about 20,000 in 1998 to more than 50,000 in 2023, waste management has emerged as a growing environmental challenge in the area.

Participants from federal ministries, conservation agencies, local government bodies, the private sector, and the media attended the event. Discussions focused on project design, community capacity building, waste segregation, recycling practices, and coordination to establish systems for collecting, processing, and transporting waste, including electronic waste.