Meet the Nominee: X-Runner from Peru

The Problem

There are over 900,00 people without access to sanitation living in Lima Peru. Hundreds of thousands of people live in informal slums on the outskirts of Lima, which often have no access to plumbing or sewage systems at all. On top of this, Lima and other coastal cities (where over 70% of the population lives) only have access 2% of the total water available in Peru. In fact, Lima is the second driest capital in the world. Even with access to sewage systems, this severe water scarcity, in addition to poor urban planning and political uncertainty, have led to a sanitation and public health crisis in Peru. X-Runner recognized this clear and urgent need for waterless sanitation solutions and has been pioneering a solution for the past seven years.

The Solution

To adapt to the social and environmental needs of Lima, X-Runner needed an accessible, off-grid and waterless solution. They found this by providing the service of a dry and portable in-home toilet, combined with a weekly pick-up service for which customers pay a monthly fee. X-Runner is currently serving more than 900 households on a daily basis, largely low-income households.

The human-centred focus is a high priority in the X-Runner business model. Through the weekly collection, X-Runner is able to monitor the customer experience with the toilet and services. They also use communication and customer support centres to maintain their high, 93% satisfaction rates and on-time payments by customers.

What’s next for X-Runner?

X-Runner’s goal is to create a solution which is environmentally sustainable and off-grid, that can be replicable in other cities in the region. X-Runner is working towards becoming a financially sustainable organization by lowering service costs and increasing the number of households serviced. In the next five years, the organization hopes to reach more than 25,000 people in the three biggest districts in Lima.

X-Runner also plans to bring its model to rural areas of Peru, by partnering with large corporations operating in the country to provide sanitation solutions in the areas which these organizations work. As part of the corporate social responsibility projects for major agriculture, mining and energy corporations, these companies will invest in off-grid sanitation solutions for the people working for them and/or living nearby their operation sites.

Join X-Runner CEO Raùl Briceño at the Sarphati Sanitation Awards 2019

Raúl Briceño, CEO of X-Runner, will be in Amsterdam to represent his organization as one of the final three nominees for the Sarphati Sanitation Award for Promising Entrepreneur. The theme for this year’s award is integrated, decentralized solutions for the urban context.

The winner of the Sarphati Sanitation Award for Promising Entrepreneur will be announced during the Opening Ceremony of the Amsterdam International Water week (AIWW) conference () on Monday, 4th of November in the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre.

For more information about this year’s Sarphati Sanitation Awards () and the first Sarphati Sanitation Symposium 2019 (), please don't hesitate to contact us via [email protected] () or follow us on Twitter () or Facebook ().