The Chapala government is still struggling to sort out differences with GIRRSA, the private company granted a 20-year concession by the previous administration to collect the municipality’s solid waste.
Erratic trash pickup along established routes has provoked complaints from inhabitants irked by the sight of garbage piled up along curbs and streets.
According to Chapala press chief Felipe Aguilar, the problem stems from the government’s outstanding debts to the business. He says Mayor Moisés Anaya is in the process of negotiating terms for deferred payment of the back bills totaling around 5.5 million pesos left behind by the 2015-2018 administration, plus payments due between October and December that the current government was unable to cover on time.
With tax revenue pouring in this month, Anaya expects to remain current on this year’s service charges with both GIRRSA and the landfill facility in Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos.
The mayor is also banking on the success of Ajijic’s separation and recycling pilot program as a model to be duplicated in other towns and significantly cut the city’s waste management expenses. At a meeting with Ajijic residents last week, he announced that the Centro de Acopio warehouse for recyclable materials will soon be relocated to a new site next to the Civil Protection and Fire Department headquarters.