Local Authorities Fail to Recover Control of Garbage Dump

[Article taken from the Nicaragua Network Hotline]

Since the beginning of the month over one thousand informal workers who make a living from selling recyclable waste (metal, plastic and glass) dumped on Managua's municipal garbage dump "La Chureca" have blockaded the entrance in protest against the decreasing amount of valuable waste being deposited there. According to the protesting workers the more valuable waste is extracted by the garbage collectors who work for the local government before the trucks are unloaded at "La Chureca."

On Mar. 23 Managua Vice-Mayor Neri Leiva Orochena said that the local government planned to recover control of the municipal garbage dump "La Chureca" on Mar. 24 with help from the National Police if necessary. The local government was unable to take control of the site, however, because, according to Mayor Dionisio Marenco, the National Police were unwilling to accompany the local government officials. According to General Commissioner Horacio Rocha a judicial order would be necessary before the National Police were able to help the Mayor reopen the site. Marenco, who dismissed Rocha's explanation, said he did not understand why the National Police were unwilling to help.

Marenco has insisted it is impossible for the local government to guarantee the quality of the waste dumped on the site and has rejected the suggestion of increasing garbage collectors' salaries in return for their commitment not to extract certain types of waste. On Mar. 24 Marenco reiterated his position saying that if and when the proposal to increase garbage collectors' salaries is voted on by the local council he will vote against it. Marenco has also said that he is unwilling to negotiate with the informal workers from "La Chureca."

This proposal to increase the local authorities' garbage collectors' salaries was initially suggested by the National Workers' Front (FNT), which is affiliated with the FSLN, and represents the "Chureca" informal workers. FSLN City Councilman Edgardo Cuarezma put the issue on the local council agenda. The Managua City Council is made up of nine FSLN members and nine members from the three opposition parties. Marenco, who is also FSLN but had fallen out with Daniel Ortega over Marenco's political ambitions, also votes in local council decisions.

On Mar. 18 Health Minister Guillermo Gonzalez said that the local health authorities had not yet detected signs of an epidemic outbreak due to the accumulation of garbage, but he did urge a rapid resolution to the dispute in order to guarantee the health of the Managua population.

During the last week 1,200 workers hired by the city government used 180 garbage trucks to remove the more than 25,000 tons of garbage which has accumulated on Managua's streets over the last three weeks. The waste was successfully deposited in garbage dumps in Nindiri and Tipitapa despite threats by the protesting informal workers to also block the entrances to those two sites. This is a tragic conflict in which all sides are right and the only ultimate solution is to eliminate the need for people to survive by living and "mining" a toxic garbage dump.