The Airlines flagged off the first flight of 2018 for Everest Clean Up Campaign
-Lukla, Nepal
Yeti Airlines-Tara Air in partnership with Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), Himalaya Club and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has formally initiated the process to airlift 100 tons of non-biodegradable wastes in the year 2018 from the Everest region to be recycled in Kathmandu. This campaign is a continuation of the Airline’s CSR programme for Waste Management and Environmental Awareness since 2008 in the Everest region.
Organizing an inaugural programme on March 17, 2018 at Lukla Airport, the Airline flagged off its first flight for the clean up campaign and shared information about the quantity of collected waste in various collection centers in the Everest region along with a time-bound plan to airlift them. Around 5,000 kg of waste was airlifted in the same day.
Yeti Airlines-Tara Air set the ambitious target of flying out 100 tons of waste from the Everest region for the year 2018 as part of its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly relating to responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), climate change (SDG13), biodiversity consumption (SDG 15) and partnership (SDG 17). The wastes will be taken to Kathmandu for recycling.
While the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), a local environmental conservation organization and the Himalaya Club Lukla, coordinates the collection of wastes in the Everest region, Blue Waste to Value, a recycling firm in Kathmandu recycles the wastes, as part of its agreement with SPCC. The wastes comprise of mostly empty beer bottles and cans, empty food tins, and discarded mountaineering and trekking equipment.
“On behalf of our airlines we would like to thank SPCC, Himalayan Club, Blue Waste to Value and the other organisations involved in this Everest Clean Up Campaign 2018. We are grateful to the UNDP for their guidance and support in our efforts to become a more socially responsible business enterprise. We would also like to thank the media for supporting this environmental protection initiative with their coverage,” said Mr. Umesh Chandra Rai – CEO, Yeti Airlines/Tara Air. “We hope that such collaborative efforts will lead to success in protecting our planet’s fragile ecosystems for our future generations to enjoy.”
“On behalf of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality and SPPC family, we would like to thank Yeti Airlines-Tara Air for joining this initiative and becoming our partner. This help to airlift recyclable waste from Lukla to Kathmandu comes as a great assistance and beyond any measurable value to us,” said Mr. Nim Dorjee Sherpa – Chairman of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality & Vice President of SPPC. “We believe this support is going to help conserve the Everest Region and promote sustainable tourism to a great extent.”
“I would like to congratulate Yeti Airlines for taking up the initiative to clean up one of world’s most treasured tourist hotspots, the Everest region. Activities such as this will help promote a culture of ethical and responsible business, while ultimately contributing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Ms. Valerie Juliand – UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Nepal. “We recognize the business community as an important partner in our effort to promote the SDGs and call for their proactive engagement in the country’s sustainable development.”
