In many cities, a growing environmental crisis is emerging, quietly threatening public
health and the overall quality of life: waste accumulation. In places like Chiclayo,
rapid urban growth and inadequate waste management systems have led to the
overflow of garbage in public spaces, streets, and parks. This not only tarnishes the
city’s appearance but also creates serious health risks, as improper waste disposal
contributes to the spread of disease, soil and water contamination, and the release
of harmful gases into the air. Despite efforts by local authorities to improve waste
management through initiatives like the Perú Limpio program, the problem persists,
often due to a lack of infrastructure, limited public participation, and insufficient
environmental education. These challenges highlight the need for a more
coordinated and transparent approach to waste management in the city.
Our project aims to address the urgent issue of waste accumulation in Chiclayo by
focusing on raising public awareness about its detrimental effects, encouraging
collaboration between citizens and local authorities, and advocating for effective,
long-term public policies. As ICPNA students, we hope to ignite a community-driven
movement to combat waste and create a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable
environment. By working together, we can ensure that Chiclayo not only thrives as a
vibrant city but also leads the way in responsible waste management for future
generations.
THE PROBLEM
Solid waste management in Peru is an environmental and public health issue that
has reached alarming levels. With more than 18,000 tons of waste generated daily,
and a recycling rate of only 4%, improper waste disposal has been identified as one
of the main threats to both the environment and public health. This problem
originates from a combination of factors, such as the lack of infrastructure to
efficiently manage waste, low environmental awareness, and ineffective waste
disposal and recycling practices. Globally, the excessive use of plastic and the
accumulation of waste in urban and tourist areas, such as Machu Picchu, reflect the
scale of the issue, with negative impacts ranging from river pollution to the spread of
diseases (Al Jazeera English, 2020).
The waste management crisis in Chiclayo is not only a significant environmental
issue but a pressing public health threat. The city faces widespread waste
accumulation, with informal dumping sites scattered across urban areas and major
roads leading into the city. The landfill in Ferreñafe has become a significant
environmental concern due to its inadequate management and its increasing
negative impact on the local ecosystem and public health. Currently, it receives an
average of 27 tons of garbage daily, including waste from neighboring districts such
as Pueblo Nuevo and Mesones Muro. This large volume of waste, including 61%
organic material, is creating severe environmental risks, including the generation of
toxic gases such as CO2 and methane, into the air. These harmful emissions are
carried by the wind to nearby populated areas, including Chiclayo itself, exposing the
population to severe health risks, particularly respiratory and ocular diseases.
One of the biggest environmental concerns in the region is the Reque landfill,
located 3 km inside the Panamericana Norte highway at kilometer 763, in the district
of Reque. Covering 307 hectares, it is the largest landfill in Peru and operates as an
open-air dump without any environmental controls. This has caused severe pollution,
affecting air, soil, and water quality. The landfill emits toxic gases and allows
hazardous liquids to seep into the ground, leading to respiratory, gastrointestinal,
and skin diseases among nearby residents. To make matters worse, the landfill
receives waste not only from Chiclayo but also from other districts, including La
Victoria, Ferreñafe, and Mochumí. In 2022, the OEFA (Organismo de Evaluación y
Fiscalización Ambiental) ordered its closure, and the Municipality of Chiclayo was
fined S/ 99,000 for failing to comply with environmental regulations. Despite these
measures, the landfill continues to operate informally, with waste still being dumped
in the area. Julio Hidalgo, head of the Defensoría del Pueblo in Lambayeque,
emphasized that the landfill’s size and mismanagement pose serious health and
environmental threats, particularly due to uncontrolled burning and the presence of
pests.
The situation in Chiclayo is so critical that the National Environmental Council
(CONAM) ranked the city as one of the eight most polluted cities in Peru. In 2010,
the Ministry of Health declared a health alert due to a bubonic plague outbreak,
which claimed several lives, all linked to the poor waste disposal practices and the
infestation of rats in the city’s informal dumps. While this disease is no longer a
current threat, it serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that poor waste
management can bring. These disturbing realities highlight the urgent need for
comprehensive waste management reform in Chiclayo to protect public health and
the environment.
Worldwide, waste management is a growing issue as cities experience rapid
urbanization and populations continue to rise. In countries such as China, more than
350 waste-to-energy plants are in operation, processing millions of tons of waste
annually to generate electricity, reduce landfill usage, and cut greenhouse gas
emissions. These efforts to recycle and turn waste into a resource demonstrate a
shift toward more sustainable waste management solutions, and other countries like
Sweden are beginning to adopt similar strategies. What sets China apart in its
approach is its commitment to integrating waste-to-energy technologies into its
broader environmental strategy, aiming for zero waste in landfills.
In contrast, Peru's waste management strategies, while progressing, still face
significant hurdles. Despite efforts like the Perú Limpio initiative, which has managed
to collect over 1,000 tons of waste in cleaning campaigns and promote awareness
about environmental responsibility, the country still struggles with poor infrastructure,
particularly in rural areas, and a lack of widespread education on waste segregation
and recycling. Peru’s waste management system has not yet reached the level of
sophistication seen in China, and much of the waste is still sent to landfills where it
decomposes and releases harmful gases into the environment. The introduction of
laws like Peru’s Law 27314 aims to promote recycling, reduce waste generation, and
encourage environmental education, but these laws have not yet been fully
implemented across the country, particularly in more isolated regions.
José Leonardo Ortiz, a district in Chiclayo, generates 48,971.32 tons of household
waste and 155,794,647.25 tons of non-household waste per year (MINAM, 2024).
These numbers indicate that the majority of waste comes from commercial and
industrial sources rather than residential areas. The high amount of non-household
waste suggests that businesses and institutions play a crucial role in waste
accumulation, making it necessary to implement stricter regulations and recycling
programs. Without an effective waste management system, this uncontrolled
accumulation will continue to harm both the environment and public health.
The composition of waste in José Leonardo Ortiz highlights a significant challenge
for waste management. Food waste (20%) and other organic materials (35%) make
up the largest portion of household waste, followed by recyclable materials such as
paper (6%), plastic (6.7%), and metals (7%) (MINAM, 2024). The high percentage of
organic waste presents an opportunity to introduce composting programs, which
could significantly reduce landfill waste. However, without proper education and
infrastructure, most of this waste ends up in landfills, releasing harmful gases like
methane and contributing to environmental pollution.
In 2021, Chiclayo generated an average of 384 tons of solid waste per day, which is
approximately 0.80 kg per person per day. The solid waste generation per person in
Chiclayo has shown fluctuations over the years, the city produced approximately
200,000 tons of waste, with 0.67 kg of waste per person per day. This amount
steadily increased in 2015 and 2016, reaching 250,000 tons and 0.78 kg and 0.83 kg
per person. The largest increase occurred in 2019, when the city generated 265,000
tons of waste, with each person producing 0.86 kg per day, a trend that remained
constant in 2020. Despite minor fluctuations, the per person waste generation has
remained high, highlighting the urgent need for better waste management strategies
to address Chiclayo’s growing environmental challenges.
As we walked through the streets of Chiclayo, it became painfully clear that the city
is struggling with a severe waste management crisis. The streets and avenues in
Chiclayo that are mentioned as critical points of waste accumulation by Infobae
(2024) are Pedro Cieza de León, 9 de Octubre, Augusto B. Leguía, Fernando
Belaúnde, Escriva de Balaguer, Evitamiento, and Fitzcarrald. These areas are
particularly affected by the accumulation of waste, which not only dirties the
environment but also causes serious health and environmental pollution issues.
These streets have become visible symbols of the waste management crisis in
Chiclayo, highlighting the urgent need for an integrated solution to improve
cleanliness and waste handling in the city.
This alarming situation shows the widespread concern about waste management in
the city, which was also reflected in the surveys and interviews we conducted. In
these discussions, both citizens and experts highlighted the issues of inadequate
waste collection, the lack of proper recycling points, and the overall impact on public
health and the environment. The responses from the community strongly emphasize
the need for better education, stricter regulations, and improvements in waste
collection infrastructure. Through this, it becomes evident that not only the physical
state of the streets but also the awareness and behavior of the population play a key
role in addressing this pressing issue.
…..
We use the General Law on Solid Waste (Law No. 27314), which is the regulatory
framework that governs solid waste management in Peru, establishing guidelines
aimed at ensuring the protection of public health and the environment. Although it is
adequate to solve this problem, there are, however, points that can be improved.
Below are the strengths and weaknesses of this law:
Strengths of Law No. 27314:
● Focus on waste minimization and prevention:
The Law promotes the reduction in the generation of solid waste through
prevention strategies, which includes the promotion of sustainable practices in
both production and consumption. This approach is key to reducing
environmental pressure and promoting more balanced development (MINAM,
2021).
● Shared responsibility:
One of the highlights of the Law is the inclusion of the principle of shared
responsibility, where not only government authorities, but also companies,
institutions and citizens, are obliged to actively participate in waste
management (Collantes, 2014).
● Promotion of waste recovery:
The Law encourages the reuse of waste, especially recyclable or recoverable
waste, promoting the transition to a circular economy. This implies
recognizing waste not only as waste, but as potential resources that can be
reused in various production processes (Chavez y Buitron, 2023).
Weaknesses of Law No. 27314:
● Insufficient implementation:
Despite the well-defined legal framework, its effective implementation remains
a major challenge in many regions of Peru. The case of Chiclayo, where
waste accumulates in informal landfills and its inadequate management
threatens both the environment and public health, is a clear example (Díaz,
2021).
● Poor infrastructure:
Proper waste management requires specialized facilities such as recycling
plants, transfer stations, and landfills that meet environmental standards.
However, many municipalities, especially in more remote or less well-funded
regions, lack this basic infrastructure (Espinoza, 2023).
● Low environmental awareness:
An essential component of the Law is environmental education, as active
citizen participation is crucial to its success. However, in practice, the lack of
effective educational campaigns has resulted in a population that, for the most
part, is unaware of or does not apply the practices of segregation and
responsible disposal of waste (Alva, 2022).
In Peru, particularly in areas such as Chiclayo, it has generated various
disagreements between key actors due to the implementation of policies,
assignment of responsibilities and available resources.
Municipalities argue that the central government does not provide the economic and
technical resources necessary to properly implement the General Law on Solid
Waste (Law No. 27314). This generates conflicts over responsibilities, since local
authorities must implement policies without having the infrastructure or sufficient
financing. Solid waste management requires significant investment in infrastructure
and training, aspects in which municipalities depend on support from the central
government (Ruiz, 2024), Meanwhile, decentralization in Peru has transferred
responsibilities to local governments without guaranteeing the necessary resources
for their fulfillment (Pita, 2019).
Similarly, some companies consider environmental regulations to be too strict or
costly, especially in waste management, which generates resistance to compliance
(Rovira, 2024). Based on this, there is a perception that regulations are not applied
uniformly, affecting certain companies more, especially small and medium-sized
ones, which may lack the resources to comply with environmental requirements
(Stakeholders, 2024).
Informal recyclers oppose the formalization processes established by law, since they
consider that they limit their access to recyclable materials and do not guarantee
economic stability, since it involves procedures and costs that many informal
recyclers cannot afford (Marín, 2016). Meanwhile, the entry of large recycling
companies can displace informal recyclers, who lack the resources to compete on
equal terms (Stakeholders, 2024).