A Nepalese sherpa collects garbage left by climbers on Mount Everest at an altitude of about 26,000 feet during a clean-up expedition in 2010.

(Namgyal Sherpa/AFP/Getty Images)

At a Glance

Tourists without climbing permits will not be allowed at China's base camp.The Chinese hope to reduce the amount of trash left on the mountain.More than 9 tons of trash was removed from areas higher than 17,000 feet last year.

The piles of trash have gotten so bad on Mount Everest China has banned tourists from the base camp in Tibet.

Only visitors with climbing permits will be , the BBC reports.

Non-climbing tourists are still able to about 600 feet farther down the mountain, the South China Morning Post reported.

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The news was first announced in December on an official website in Tibet, the BBC said. It became widespread when claims were made on social media saying the camp would be closed permanently.

China's state news agency Xinhua cited officials as saying that was not true. A new camp for visitors will be set up , Channel News Asia reported.

The mountain has seen more and more trash pile up over the years as thousands of tourists and climbers have made the trek to the world's highest peak.

The Chinese Mountaineering Association says 40,000 people visited its base camp in 2015, the most recent year with figures, according to the BBC.

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In 2016-17, about 45,000 people visited the base camp on Nepal's side of Everest, according to Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation.

Discarded climbing equipment and rubbish is scattered around Camp 4 of Mount Everest on May 21, 2018.

(Doma Sherpa/AFP/Getty Images)

The mountaineering association said 370 tons of rubbish was removed from areas below the Chinese base camp last year. More than 9 tons of trash was removed from areas higher than 17,000 feet.

In a further effort to help with cleanup, the Chinese have limited the number of climbers from its side of Everest to 300 and restricted the climbing season to spring.

Attempts will be made this year to remove the bodies of mountaineers who have died on Everest above 26,000 feet.