The 14 mayors of the Azuero region, corresponding to the provinces of Herrera and Los Santos, held a meeting to analyze the growing problem related to the collection of solid waste and, especially, with the final destination of garbage in the different municipalities of the region. During the meeting, several mayors exposed the difficulties they currently face, including the lack of adequate landfills for the final disposal of waste, a situation that represents a serious risk to public health and the environment. And it is that, according to them, some municipalities even lack an authorized site to deposit garbage, which further aggravates the problem. Most of the municipalities in Azuero are subsidized and depend heavily on the Central Government to be able to execute high-cost projects. Among the main problems, the mayors stated that million-dollar investments are required that only the Central Government can assume, since this type of situation cannot be resolved only with municipal resources. Among them, critical cases stand out, such as some districts that have dumped waste for decades on private land and that, in addition, do not have adequate equipment to collect garbage daily and not affect the population. The mayor of Guararé, Amado Franco, on behalf of the group of municipal authorities, stated that beyond the low payment of the waste collection rate by the population, the economic reality of the inland municipalities limits their capacity to respond. As a result of the meeting, the mayors issued a joint statement in which they call on the national authorities to travel to the Azuero region and hold an expanded meeting that allows analyzing viable alternatives for the management of existing landfills in Herrera and Los Santos. The mayors agreed that it is not sustainable to keep municipal landfills open for so many years due to the negative impact they generate on the health of communities, reiterating that only with the support of the Central Government will it be possible to give an integral and sustainable solution to the problem of solid waste management in Azuero.
