Controlling Waste on Aconcagua
In all park ranger and service provider camps there are toilets for climber use. Their use is mandatory, and those visitors who violate this regulation will be fined $100. Where the offending person does not have the required money, his/her equipment will be retained until the fine is paid. All camping visitors must have a sanitary service, which is either supplied by the service provider or by the ecological toilet facilities that can be rented in the Park. Each visitor is supplied with a numbered garbage bag upon entrance, which will have to be handed in to the park rangers on the way out with any rubbish/waste that has been created along the way. Non-compliance with this rule will again incur a $100 fine. Many service providers take responsibility for bringing down garbage themselves, and in this case they sign and stamp the admission permit of each visitor, thus taking the responsibility off their hands.
The government of Mendoza is extremely strict when it comes to trying to control pollution within the Park and we strongly adhere to all the regulations they lay down in order to protect the area and make the Aconcagua region a pleasant place which attracts visitors. At the same time we want the ecosystems within Aconcagua to remain in balance and to encourage the natural biodiversity, by ensuring that increasing numbers of visitors to the park do not have a detrimental impact on the area. There are fines of $500 for deliberately burning rubbish, polluting water courses or gathering native plants/trees to make a fire. $1000 fines will be payable if visitors throw their rubbish away in the Park, camp anywhere other than the designated places, carve inscriptions in the rocks, or damage plants, wildlife or natural archaeological features.
