On August 31, the closing of the landfill located at km 22 of the route to the Pacificto which 300 trucks arrive daily with more than 2,200 tons of garbage from 32 municipalities. However, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Marn) is analyzing a two-year waiting period.
Without a clear short-term solution for the destination of the waste after the closure of the landfill, Edwin Castellanos, vice minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change, noted that evaluate technical studies presented by the Authority for the Sustainable Management of the Amatitlán Basin and Lake (Amsa), in charge of the landfill, which demonstrate that they have improved the management and compaction technique of garbage during the last two years, which would allow expanding the reception of waste at the site.
“Based on this improvement, the possibility of extending the closing date by one or two years is being evaluated. This will be resolved at the end of this month,” the official said.
Castellanos indicated that Marn is responsible for ensuring that the landfill closes in a technically correct manner; However, finding a solution to the problem of garbage arriving at the Amsa landfill corresponds to the 32 municipalities who deposit their waste there and were notified of the closure from 2025.
He added that the Constitutional Court (CC) decided last year to suspend the Regulation for the Comprehensive Management of Common Solid Waste and Waste and made it clear that the regulation and management of waste It corresponds constitutionally and legally to each municipality.
“If municipalities do not have the capacity to manage waste within their jurisdiction, they should explore the option of doing so jointly,” he said. However, the ministry is willing to advise communities that request it.
On the other hand, he indicated that Amsa’s central mandate is to manage the Lake Amatitlán basin and not the landfill. Plus, you don’t have the budget to move it to another location.
30 years of operation
During a technical table of the Environment, Ecology and Natural Resources Commission of the Congress of the Republic, held on June 10, the authorities of amsa They indicated that the closure has been postponed and that, in 2024, an extension of the environmental license was achieved with the support of Marn for two more years; however, The period to disqualify it expires in 76 days.
Enma Díaz, executive director of Amsa, pointed out that the landfill has been operating for about 30 years and that, although “good technical work” is done, its capacity is at the limitso it is necessary to look for comprehensive solutions together with the mayors of the municipalities that deposit their waste there.
The need for municipalities to have land and feasibility studies for the construction of separation plants and landfills within their jurisdiction was explained, since it is not enough to classify garbage, but work must also be done on its final disposal to avoid environmental and social collapse.
Furthermore, it was indicated that the Municipal CodeHe establishes, in the article 68that among the responsibilities of the communes are the collection, treatment and final disposal of waste and solid waste.
The concern is that, with the closure of the landfill, the waste will end up in illegal dumpsof which, according to Amsa records, there are 2,370 throughout the countrywhile around the basin of Lake Amatitlán there are 170.
Worry
Although each municipality must take care of the garbage it generates, some mayors express concern because they do not have spaces within their jurisdiction for the final disposal of waste. That is the case of San Miguel Petapa, Guatemala; San Bartolomé Milpas Altas and Santa Lucía Milpas Altas, Sacatepéquez, according to local authorities.
In the case of San Lucas Sacatepéquez, which produces 15 tons of garbage daily, César de la Rosa, first councilor of the commune, indicated that, if the AMSA landfill closes on August 31, the municipality would face “a social crisis.”
Therefore, during the technical table he requested that the matter be worked on jointly between the central government and local authorities, in addition to reinforcing the environmental education of the population.
Since 2021, the Great Southern City Commonwealthmade up of Amatitlán, Escuintla, Fraijanes, Guatemala, Mixco, San Miguel Petapa, Villa Canales and Villa Nueva, has taken steps to identify land where to locate a new landfill.
Luis Pedro Lavarreda, third councilor of the Municipality of Amatitlán, indicated during the technical table that a land of 35 apples in Villa Nueva. However, due to administrative processes and lack of budget, there is no progress to enable a new space to deposit waste from more than 30 municipalities.
As a solution, a public-private alliance is being analyzed to address the final disposal and treatment of waste after the closure of Amsa. However, between pre-feasibility studies, feasibility and tenders, the solution could be finalized until 2030so it constitutes a long-term alternative.
In the midst of the discussion about the closure of the landfill located at km 22 of the route to the Pacific are the collectors who daily transport the garbage generated by thousands of homes. Miguel Carrera, president of the Collectors Guild, indicated that it is up to the municipalities and Marn to find a solution to the problem; However, he stated that the mayors “are only interested in having their municipality cleaned,” without taking into account the opinion of the union.
On the other hand, Carrera indicated that since last Monday they have had problems entering the Amsa landfill and that, until Tuesday, there were trucks in line loaded with garbage collected since Saturday, because the authorities They closed the place during the weekends for maintenance work and prevention measures before the rainy season.