Sagarmatha National Park
Carry me back system was designed by Sagarmatha Next for SPCC in collaboration with BW2V and moware design, to solve the waste challenges in the Khumbu region
What are the challenges?
Managing and transporting waste at high altitude
The increasing growth of tourists in Sagarmatha National Park has brought considerable socio-economic benefits to the region but also put a massive strain on the environment. Beyond 3,000 meters altitude, lack of connectivity and limited recycling infrastructure is resulting in a growing amount of unmanaged waste in the Khumbu region.
Kathmandu
Khumbu Valley
In 2018, various local organizations united forces to implement an innovative solution to tackle the challenge - that's how carry me back was born, a concept designed by Sagarmatha Next. As its name suggests, carry me back is a crowdsourced waste management system designed to send waste to its rightful place where it can be recycled by utilising the movement of locals and tourists.
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First, the local NGO SPCC segregates and shreds the waste to reduce the volume and packs them the 1kg-capacity carry me back bags. Then, the bags are offered to locals and visitors that come across the pick up stations when leaving Sagarmatha National Park. Bags are disposed of at the dedicated bins placed at Lukla Airport. The private airline - Yeti Airlines, transfers the waste to Kathmandu, where the social enterprise BW2V take it for further recycling at its facility. From there, PET plastic bottles are sent to Himalayan Life Plastic for recycling, HDPE bottle caps to moware lab for upcycling into new products, and rest of metals to local recyclers. This way we complete close the loop, in an unique model of collaboration and participation.
What is our strategy?
Implementing a crowdsourced waste removal system
SPCC (Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee)
Blue Waste
to Value
What is the strength?
Utilising people's movement to transport the waste.
60,000
Tourist visits SNP
per year
12,000
staff accompanies
these tourist
11,000
total population in Khumbu region
*Data from 2019, before COVID-19 pandemic.
How we recycle the waste?
A Step-by-Step Transformation of Waste into Sustainable Solutions
moware design
Himalayan Life Plastics
Local Recyclers
Where can you pick up a carry me back bag?
Carry me back bags can be collected at the pick up stations located in Namche Bazaar and Pangboche and deposited at the drop off station at Lukla Airport.​
​​If you are visiting Sagarmatha National Park soon, stay tuned as we will add more pick up stations soon!
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