Inkaterra Asociación: Sustainable Machu Picchu
Nearly 6,000 people visit the Inca ruin Machu Picchu every day – and the crowds affect the ruins as well as the surrounding area and the village of Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo). At the latest when UNESCO threatened to withdraw the World Heritage status in 2006, it was clear that action had to be taken. Visitor flows have been more heavily regulated since the beginning of 2019, but Inkaterra is also contributing to more sustainability in Aguas Calientes.
Inkaterra and its own NGO Inkaterra Asociación have teamed up with the AJE Group (a Peruvian family-owned multinational beverage company) and have already implemented several projects under the name "Sustainable Machu Picchu":
1. Biodiesel plant
The plant was put into operation in 2017 and processes burnt vegetable oil from villagers and hotel kitchens into biodiesel. The aim is to counteract the pollution of the Vilcanota River, which flows through the village Aguas Calientes. Previously, villagers dumped lots of their used oil into the river thus polluting it. The facility is now located on the grounds of the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel.
2. PET waste compacting plant
Unfortunately, the tourists leave behind lots of plastic waste at the ruins. At the end of 2016, the waste compacting plant was installed – the first project that AJE Group and Inkaterra Asociación implemented together. It squeezes up to 14 tons of waste per day in compact packages, which are then easily transported by train to a recycling facility.
3. Organic waste processing plant
This facility is the latest project of Inkaterra, AJE and the Municipality of Aguas Calientes. It can convert up to seven tons of waste into biochar per day through pyrolysis (chemical decomposition by high temperatures in the absence of oxygen). Thus, fertilizer is produced, which can then be used for the reforestation of the cloud forest around Machu Picchu as well as in agriculture. The bio-coal is also used by the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SERNANP) for their goal of planting one million trees around Machu Picchu.
More information can be found on the Green Travel Blog and the website of Inkaterra Asociación.
In 2018, the initiative to turn Machu Picchu into a global model of sustainability was awarded in Germany with the prestigious Die Goldene Palme in the “Responsible Tourism” category, as well as the Peruvian award Líderes + 1.
