Safeguarding for future generations
Elzinga told his story on social media through a photo of the waste, where people responded in anger, not knowing the garbage showed in pictures was actually brought there purposely to recycle.

The trash is transported by porters and yaks, as the centre is inaccessible to vehicles, says Tommy Gustafsson, project director at the Himalayan Museum and Sustainable Park, which operates the Sagarmatha Next Centre.

“The bulk [of the garbage] is from the various mountain Base Camps … and from the +100 waste bins that are placed along the main hiking trails in the region,” he said.

The purpose of the Waste to Art project — which started in 2011 with Nepalese artists — is to make people see that waste is “a resource that can and should be reused,” said Gustafsson.

As a non-profit organization, the centre aims to support waste removal in the area and supports the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee.

He added the response from locals and foreigners alike has been “amazing and positive,” and he’s taken pleasure in seeing people discover art can be made from waste and realize the importance of preserving the environment “for future generations.”

David Fennell, a tourism studies professor at Brock University, said the project is “an excellent example of sustainable thinking.”

Fennell said the project could be seen as “a model” for other destinations. “

Baca Juga: Sampah Galungan Dijadikan Kompos

It is not just the physical presentation and aesthetic quality of these unique pieces,” he said. “But also the education and raising awareness of the human use of special places like the high-altitude regions of Nepal which are especially vulnerable to overuse.”

Garbage from Mount Everest hanging on European homes
Elzinga said 10 to 12 of his pieces have already made their way into homes around Europe, and some of them are displayed at the gallery.

He said one of the highlights of the residency was getting to chat with passersby.

“I guess seeing a western artist making a sculpture out of garbage is the last thing that they thought they were going to see on their Nepali trekking adventure.”

Elzinga has come a long way since that first bad review. He’s developed a thick skin.

He says “The best thing is to not take it personally, because once I make a work of art … that’s not necessarily about me anymore.

” A word of thanks, however, can go a long way.

“It still shocks me to … see people just weeping, crying [over my pieces],” he says.