Waste Management in Mexico is Insufficient and Inadequate BNAmericas
go to original September 22, 2012

People select garbage to recycle at the garbage dump Bordo Poniente on the outskirts of Mexico City. (Christian Palma/Associated Press)

Waste management services in Mexico are not fit for purpose, Constantino Gutiérrez, a researcher at the engineering institute of national autonomous university UNAM told BNamericas.

Municipal governments "do not have the necessary infrastructure to provide collection and disposal services, there are deficiencies in the provision of services and a failure to exploit valuable waste materials," said Gutiérrez.

Key problems facing the sector include the scarcity of sanitary landfills, obsolete garbage trucks, highly informal methods of garbage collection and a lack of high-tech separating equipment, said the expert.

Waste separation in Mexico is predominantly carried out by hand, meaning that only 10-15% of the reusable or recyclable material is recovered, despite the rising value of metal, glass and PET, said Gutiérrez.

While there has been an increase in disposal infrastructure "it remains insufficient," with just 196 sanitary landfills across the country; equal to 0.08 sites per municipality, said the academic.

These challenges are exacerbated by the rising levels of garbage generation across the country, said the expert.

Mexico State generates the most garbage in the country, up 28.3% from the 5,148t generated in 2000 to 6,610t in 2011. This upward trend is mirrored across the whole of Mexico, with the highest increases in garbage production to be found in the central region.

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