Rubbish and Recycling on the Peninsula: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 07:17, 22 October 2026

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♻️ Rubbish and Recycling on the Peninsula

Rubbish on the Santa Elena Peninsula is collected by each municipality, reaching about 95% of homes.

Rubbish on the Santa Elena Peninsula is collected by each municipality, reaching about 95% of homes. Disposal is the weak link: the waste still goes to open dumps rather than an engineered landfill.

Who collects it

Canton	Collector	Amount	Where it goes
Santa Elena	EMASA EP (municipal company, since 2012)	About 130 t a day; 95% of the city, 90% of the north coast	Open dumps at km 3½ of the Santa Elena–Guayaquil road (city, Atahualpa, Ancón, Simón Bolívar) and north-east of Palmar (Manglaralto, Colonche)
La Libertad	Municipal Aseo Urbano, two shifts Monday–Saturday	About 63 t a day (2015 estimate)	Dump near barrio Nueva Provincia
Salinas	Municipal waste unit, 7 routes, 07:00–23:00	78.7 of 82.8 t a day collected	Ayamblo open dump (10 ha, km 2 of the Anconcito–Velasco Ibarra road)

Good to know

The dumps have little covering or compaction, and fires break out from time to time (about 2 ha burned at Santa Elena's site in April 2026).
A shared landfill for the three cantons at El Tambo has been discussed since 2019 but has not been built.
The holiday season can triple the amount of rubbish, so expect fuller bins and busier collection crews on beach weekends.

Did you know…?

💵 …Ecuador has used the US dollar as its currency since 2000?

Money tips →

Fees and recycling

The rubbish collection fee is now charged on the water bill (Aguapen). It used to be added to the electricity bill.
Recycling is mostly informal: pickers' associations such as ASORECICASA in Salinas sort glass, cardboard and plastic. Salinas collects bottles, batteries and tyres at its sports centres.

Tips

Put bags out on your street's collection days and times, not the night before.
Don't burn rubbish; ask your neighbours or the municipality for the local schedule.

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+{{EW hero|portal=pen|kicker=[[:Category:Infrastructure|Infrastructure]]|emoji={{EW teaser/data|Rubbish and Recycling on the Peninsula|e}}|title=Rubbish and Recycling on the Peninsula|hook={{EW teaser/data|Rubbish and Recycling on the Peninsula}}|min=1}}
 '''Rubbish on the Santa Elena Peninsula''' is collected by each municipality, reaching about 95% of homes. Disposal is the weak link: the waste still goes to open dumps rather than an engineered landfill.
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 * A shared landfill for the three cantons at El Tambo has been discussed since 2019 but has not been built.
 * The holiday season can triple the amount of rubbish, so expect fuller bins and busier collection crews on beach weekends.
+{{EW dyk|emoji=💵|…Ecuador has used the US dollar as its currency since 2000?|page=ATM & Banking|cta=Money tips →}}
 == Fees and recycling ==
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 ''Sources: PDOT cantón Santa Elena (pp. 41, 108–111); PDOT Salinas 2023–2027 (pp. 108–110, 146–150); PDOT Provincia de Santa Elena 2015–2019 (pp. 219–220); PDOT La Libertad 2014–2019 (p. 141); Primicias, 26 Apr 2026.''
+{{EW explore|How the Peninsula Works|Aeropuerto General Ulpiano Páez|Electricity on the Peninsula|Oil Industry on the Peninsula|Puerto Pesquero Artesanal de Anconcito|Montañita}}
+{{EW next|Sewage and Wastewater on the Peninsula}}
 [[Category:La Peninsula]]
 [[Category:Santa Elena Province]]
 [[Category:Infrastructure]]