{"id":954,"date":"2019-03-18T17:03:04","date_gmt":"2019-03-18T17:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/?p=954"},"modified":"2025-09-04T09:06:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T14:06:52","slug":"could-cusco-be-the-first-zero-plastic-city-in-peru-3-reasons-why-we-think-the-answer-is-yes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/could-cusco-be-the-first-zero-plastic-city-in-peru-3-reasons-why-we-think-the-answer-is-yes\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Cusco be the first zero-plastic city in Peru? 3 reasons why we think the answer is \u201cYes\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Really, humanity is confronting the biggest environmental crisis in all of history. We\u2019ve gotten used to using (and immediately throwing away) <strong>plastic<\/strong> without a second thought. Specialists mention that up to 40% of the <strong>plastic<\/strong> we use ends up in the <strong>ocean<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are actually 5 huge islands of floating plastic in the <strong>ocean<\/strong>. And when we say huge, we aren\u2019t exaggerating. The largest<strong> plastic<\/strong> island is found in the northern Pacific Ocean between the United States and Hawaii and is larger than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Peru<\/strong><\/a> and Ecuador combined. This is the result of <strong>plastic<\/strong> that makes it to the <strong>ocean<\/strong> and is carried out by the current.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Every minute 1 million plastic bottles are used in the world<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents anchor-links\"><ul><li><a href=\"#h-1-street-food-all-over-the-place\" data-level=\"2\">1. Street food ALL OVER THE PLACE<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-2-traditional-markets-all-over-the-place\" data-level=\"2\">2. Traditional markets ALL OVER THE PLACE<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-3-strong-cultural-identity\" data-level=\"2\">3. Strong cultural identity<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-reasons-against-it\" data-level=\"2\">Reasons against it<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>In the world, every minute, there are 1 million plastic bottles and 10 million <strong>plastic<\/strong> bags used. On average, the life span of <strong>plastic<\/strong> is 13 minutes but takes between 400 and 1000 years to disintegrate. Just imagine the quantity of trash we\u2019re producing. The <strong>plastic<\/strong> industry (intimately related to the petroleum industry) is creating great harm for the planet which, according to specialists, will soon be irreversible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this blog, we want to talk about a utopia that, who knows, could soon become a reality. We believe there are actually various possibilities that allow Cusquenians to consume products without generating plastic trash. So they could make Cusco the first-ever in Peru zero-plastic city. Do you have any other ideas?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-street-food-all-over-the-place\">1. Street food ALL OVER THE PLACE <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The offer of food on the streets of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/traditional\/cusco\/city-tour-cusco\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Cusco<\/strong> <\/a>is truly impressive, and it depends on you whether you use <strong>plastic<\/strong> or not to consume it. The options are varied, so we\u2019ll focus on the healthiest foods you can find. In this way, you\u2019ll not only take care of your health but also the health of the planet. In the end, the planet and you are one.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image fancy-gallery\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a class=\"fancy-gallery\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/1.1-non-plastic-cusco-candies-homemade.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/1.1-non-plastic-cusco-candies-homemade-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Woman selling homemade candies\" class=\"wp-image-957\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A lady sells homemade candies enveloped in paper that you can choose instead of industrial candies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re in the street and you\u2019re thirsty, you don\u2019t need to buy drinks in plastic bottles because you\u2019ll find a huge variety of natural, nutritional and medicinal drinks. For example, quinoa chicha, a sweet delicacy made of one of the most nutritional foods in the world, has as much protein as milk and is much more nutritional than drinks made of wheat, corn or oatmeal. On top of the quinoa chicha, there are many other delicious drinks you can find on the street like chicha morada (made from purple corn), barley water, passion fruit drinks, orange juice (squeezed right in front of your eyes!) and the well-known emollient, a medicinal mixture of several herbs found all over the city as soon as nighttime falls.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image fancy-gallery\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a class=\"fancy-gallery\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/1.4-homemade-drinks-quinoa-chicha-purple-corn-passion-fruit-cusco.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/1.4-homemade-drinks-quinoa-chicha-purple-corn-passion-fruit-cusco-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Women selling homemade drinks\" class=\"wp-image-958\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Homemade delicious drinks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Before giving you your drink, the vendors will ask you: \u201cTo drink here or to go?\u201d If you say \u201cto drink here,\u201d they\u2019ll use a cup made of glass to serve you, and in this way you can avoid using <strong>plastic<\/strong>. You know, in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/traditional\/cusco\/city-tour-cusco\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Cusco<\/strong><\/a> it\u2019s possible to hydrate easily, drinking something healthy and natural without using plastic.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image fancy-gallery\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a class=\"fancy-gallery\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/1.5-fruits-street-cusco-amazing.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/1.5-fruits-street-cusco-amazing-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Woman selling fruit to a guy\" class=\"wp-image-959\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">You will be able to eat healthy fruits at the street without using plastic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll also find many options on the street if you\u2019re hungry and don\u2019t want to use plastic. On public streets, it\u2019s possible to find vendors with excellent fruits: huge bananas, juicy oranges, sweet-smelling apples, delicious mangoes, grapes, etc. The variety of fruits you find will depend on the season in which you visit Cusco. For example, in January, February and March, you\u2019ll be able to enjoy delicious tuna (cactus fruit) to refresh yourself in the heat. Likewise, in June, it will be a lot easier to find sugar cane and coconuts. You\u2019ll also find traditional tamales, the delicious appetizers made of corn flour and wrapped in corn husks. They don\u2019t need any artificial wrapper! Another great alternative to satisfy your hunger without generating plastic residues are the traditional anticuchos, pieces of grilled meat that you\u2019ll find on the street at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-traditional-markets-all-over-the-place\">2. Traditional markets ALL OVER THE PLACE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The city of <strong>Cusco<\/strong> is filled with traditional markets where you can find healthy food, not industrialized, in bulk, and, if you\u2019d like, without the necessity of using <strong>plastic<\/strong>. Due to their great prices and the quality of their products, these markets bravely weather the supermarkets and malls who use plastic indiscriminately. You just need to bring your own bags &#8211; preferably made of cloth &#8211; and tell the vendors: \u201cNo plastic bag, please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image fancy-gallery\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a class=\"fancy-gallery\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/2.1.-san-pedro-market-fruits-natural-non-plastic-cusco.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/2.1.-san-pedro-market-fruits-natural-non-plastic-cusco-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Woman selling fruits \" class=\"wp-image-960\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Amazing delicious fruits at San Pedro market.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>If your hotel is in the Historical Center of Cusco, you\u2019ll be able to visit the markets of San Pedro, Ccascaparo, San Blas and Wanchaq. Other incredible options are the markets of Huancaro, Ttio, San Sebastian and Vinocanch\u00f3n in San Jer\u00f3nimo, however they are a bit further away.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image fancy-gallery\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a class=\"fancy-gallery\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/2.2.-san-pedro-market-natural-juice-delicious-cusco.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/2.2.-san-pedro-market-natural-juice-delicious-cusco-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Woman selling natural juices \" class=\"wp-image-961\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Natural juices at San Pedro market. No plastic needed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>These markets are huge and usually organized by the products being sold. You\u2019ll find sections of fruits, grains, beef, chicken, fish, vegetables, potatoes, etc. You\u2019ll also find healthy foods (from simple, but delicious plates like rice with an egg to soup vendors like ceviche, all at a great price!) and a section for fruit juices. You can choose the fruits you want them to use to prepare your juice, and they\u2019ll serve it to you in glass! First-class food without the necessity of using plastic.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image fancy-gallery\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a class=\"fancy-gallery\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/2.4.-sexy-girl-natural-herbs-wanchaq-market-cusco.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/2.4.-sexy-girl-natural-herbs-wanchaq-market-cusco-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Girl drinking medicinal infusion \" class=\"wp-image-962\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Beautiful girl drinking medicinal infusion with chia at Wanchaq market.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-strong-cultural-identity\">3. Strong cultural identity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The inhabitants of the city of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/traditional\/cusco\/city-tour-cusco\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Cusco<\/strong><\/a> are characterized by their profound cultural identity. Although racism and discrimination are still seen daily due to the colonial mentality that persists, you can feel the reemergence of the Andean culture in diverse spaces. And what\u2019s one of the main characteristics of the Andean culture? Well, the close relationship of human beings to the Pachamama or Mother Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image fancy-gallery\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a class=\"fancy-gallery\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/3-2.2-Wakatinco-boys-and-girls-andean-culture-traditional-kids.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/3-2.2-Wakatinco-boys-and-girls-andean-culture-traditional-kids-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Guys and girls singing with traditional outfits\" class=\"wp-image-963\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wakatinco school girls singing about our Pachamama.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>We consider that a re-discovering of the true sense of the Andean culture could be the key to the fight against contamination on this planet. If the people of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/traditional\/cusco\/city-tour-cusco\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Cusco<\/strong><\/a> recuperate the ideal values of the Andean culture, it could radically change their consumer habits and make them the principal opposition to plastic use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike the weastern culture, in the Andean culture, human beings aren\u2019t the center of the universe but the companion, on equal terms, with animals, rivers, mountains and other beings which coexist on the planet. For the Andean culture, everything is alive: the sun, rocks, wind, and with all of these elements. So you can talk with them as if they were people. Can you imagine it? It\u2019s like this: there\u2019s a link of love and codependence between all beings who live in the ukhu pacha (underworld), the kay pacha (the world of the here and now) and the hanaq pacha (the world above, of the dieties). Thanks to Andean cosmovision, one can clearly understand the connection we have to nature, and that connection should call us to urgent change.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image fancy-gallery\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a class=\"fancy-gallery\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_6360.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"685\" src=\"\/\/www.salkantaytrekking.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_6360-1024x685.jpg\" alt=\"Andean Priest\" class=\"wp-image-246\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Andean Priest talking with deities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-reasons-against-it\">Reasons against it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sadly, <strong>Cusco<\/strong> also has huge failings when it comes to environmental protection, especially related to public politics. In the first place, the lack of trash cans in the city is obvious. There is little effort by the municipalities to educate the population about separating solid wastes, although the Municipality of <strong>Cusco<\/strong> has a trash separation program advancing which works very well in the Historical Center. On the other hand, trash pick-up is deficient. The municipalities insist on picking up trash early in the morning, which causes people to leave their trash out at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is everyone\u2019s battle. You already know it: the most efficient mechanism is, simply, to stop using one-time-use plastics. We hope this blog has contributed to helping you see the diverse options there are for avoiding plastic use during your visit to the city of <strong>Cusco.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Really, humanity is confronting the biggest environmental crisis in all of history. We\u2019ve gotten used to using (and immediately throwing away) plastic without a second thought. Specialists mention that up to 40% of the plastic we use ends up in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1794,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75,160,58],"tags":[228],"class_list":["post-954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cusco","category-environment","category-peru","tag-non-plastic"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.5 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Could Cusco Be Peru&#039;s First Zero-Plastic City? 3 Reasons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Take a closer look at the impact of plastic pollution in the oceans. 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