The continuing deterioration of Chapala’s aging garbage truck fleet, coinciding with the flood of Easter season visitors, made for a toxic mix that has left every corner of the community swamped in heaps of refuse over the past two weeks.
The trash crisis originated at the end of March after Public Sanitation Director Juan Cuevas announced that only 11 of the department’s 16 garbage trucks were road worthy. Of the other five, he said three needed new motors and two required major repairs. Regular pick-up gradually began falling behind schedule in many neighborhoods.
By last week service had become even more irregular, principally in all of Ajijic and certain parts of Chapala. Garbage collectors were assigned to double duty shifts, getting to cover some routes as late as 9 or 10 p.m.
The municipality purchased two compact garbage trucks in September of last year. All the rest were acquired by previous administrations going back to 2015 or beforehand. Cuevas says three more five-ton capacity trucks are needed to keep up with demand.
While the incumbent government has been intent on promoting frequent mass events to boost the tourist trade, it has demonstrated little interest in developing long-term goals and strategies to deal with solid waste management.
Speaking to the Reporter this week, Ecology Director Alfredo Gutiérrez admitted there has been no coordination between his department and Cuevas to work on issues such as trash separation or redesigning collection routes to increase efficiency.
The only official offering a glimmer of hope was Mayor Javier Degollado who, in a chance encounter with reporters on Wednesday, said he anticipates purchasing three more garbage trucks within the next couple of weeks. He also suggested that farming out collection services to a private outfit might be the best long-term solution.