"The clean-up operation will only take place on the Chinese side of the mountain -- it also borders Nepal -- and will concentrate on removing litter at lower levels left by sightseers," it said.

The expedition will include local Tibetans and volunteers from the press, businesses and environmental organisations.

Several teams have cleared more than 10 tonnes of rubbish since the mid-1990s after complaints from climbers that Everest had turned into the world's highest garbage dump.

The clean-up comes as a team of Chinese surveyors are working their way to the summit to measure the height of the peak that China refers to as Qomolangma, using the Tibetan name, instead of Everest, which the state-run People's Daily newspaper has called "an error made by British colonialists over a century ago".

The survey was meant to assess the precise height of the ever-growing peak and track the expansion and retreat of its glaciers, the newspaper said.