Administration after administration, the Chapala government has announced imminent implementation of solid waste separation measures.
A viable initiative has never materialized. In recent years, however, the municipality’s garbage collectors have made a habit of fishing selected throw-aways out of the trash bags to sell in order to supplement their meager wages. Current officials are now encouraging citizens to cooperate in this informal recycling system by bagging up commercially valuable inorganic materials such as aluminum, plastic and cardboard separately from other garbage for curbside pick-up. The effort will not only benefit the environment by reducing the amount of stuff going into the waste stream, but also facilitate more efficient trash collection and lessen garbage truck interferences with the local traffic flow.