Every year, millions of people make the steep climb to Kedarnath. This year, environmental activist Pradeep Sangwan wants them to carry something back with their memories: a kilogram of waste.

The founder of Healing Himalayas, a non-profit that has spent years cleaning trekking routes across the Indian Himalayas, believes a simple shift in behaviour could transform one of India's busiest pilgrimage corridors.

Through a campaign called #CarryMeBack, Sangwan is asking every pilgrim travelling to Kedarnath to pick up and bring back at least a kilogram of waste on their return journey.

The maths behind the idea 

If one lakh pilgrims carry back one kilogram each, that is 100 tonnes of waste removed from the mountains.

Sangwan shared the vision on social media.

"Forty days of Kedarnath Yatra. Ten lakh registered pilgrims reached, breaking all previous records. Our Carry Me Back Yatra is now picking up. One lakh yatri carrying one kg equals 100 tons removed. That's our aim."

The campaign is digitally tracked, allowing volunteers to record participation and measure impact in real-time.

In a region where waste management remains one of the biggest challenges of mass tourism, the idea has struck a chord.

When pilgrimage leaves a trail behind 

As visitor numbers rise every year, so does the volume of discarded plastic bottles, food packaging, raincoats, glass containers and other waste generated along the route. 

In previous years, photographs from the pilgrimage corridor have shown piles of garbage accumulating near campsites and resting points, highlighting the strain placed on an ecologically sensitive landscape.

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