Starting this weekend, Puerto Vallarta promises a cleaner curb. City officials say Red Ambiental will roll out daily trash collection in more neighborhoods, add ten trucks, and adjust the pickup schedule. The move comes after weeks of public pressure and an ultimatum: improve service within a month or risk losing the contract. Residents want to know if their street is included, and whether the promised “twice-daily” coverage in key zones will actually materialize. The first reveal is set for Sunday at La Lija. Expectations are high—and so are the piles.
Puerto Vallarta plans to expand daily trash collection and introduce new pickup windows as Red Ambiental adds ten trucks to the fleet, city officials said ahead of a Sunday announcement at La Lija. The goal is to achieve full neighborhood coverage and minimize the number of bags left on the curb.
The push follows a very public ultimatum from Mayor Luis Ernesto Munguía: fix the chronic delays within a month or face termination of the contract. The concessionaire accepted the terms and presented proposals to improve service after weeks of complaints about missed routes.
What changes first with daily trash collection
Today, daily pickup already exists in the tourist core—Centro and the Romantic Zone—where crews make two passes a day. The city now intends to extend that rhythm to more colonias, with “double collection” windows and new schedules designed to clear peak piles before heat and animals tear open bags. Ten new compactors and additional support vehicles are slated to enter service, with the rollout set for a public event at La Lija on Sunday, September 28, at 6 p.m.
Residents can expect a mix of daytime and late-day runs, according to local briefings, with city messaging to follow on when to take out waste to match the new timetable. Some outlets describe the plan as “Todos Contra la Basura,” a citywide re-engineering of routes paired with public guidance on set-out times.
Behind the logistics is Red Ambiental, one of Mexico’s larger private waste operators. The company handles collection and transfer in multiple states and says it aims for safer, cleaner streets through standardized routes and equipment standards that Vallarta now wants enforced daily.
Accountability, deadlines, and whether your street gets covered
City Hall has framed the expansion of daily trash collection as both a service upgrade and a test of the system. Officials have reiterated that Red Ambiental must “regularize” service within the mayor’s one-month window or risk losing the concession. The ultimatum followed weeks of missed pickups and social media posts showing overflow. Red Ambiental said it would redesign routes to fit Vallarta’s geography and growth.
The announcement also comes with public expectations management. In March, the city clarified that even with set morning and afternoon windows, immediate curbside pickup isn’t guaranteed; trucks run on route sequences, not on demand. That nuance will matter as daily service reaches more colonias and residents adjust to clock-specific set-out times.
Sunday’s reveal is expected to detail which neighborhoods will receive the first daily runs and where twice-a-day passes will be concentrated. Local outlets report that the plan includes three additional vehicles for special runs, such as descacharrización and recycling, designed to prevent bulky items and sorted materials from clogging standard routes.
Even before the formal launch, the city telegraphed the shift on official channels, asking Red Ambiental to analyze daily routes and hinting at a return to pre-pandemic service levels. In recent days, some residents have already reported modest improvements. The real test starts next week, when tourist traffic and heat create the worst-case scenario for curbside waste.
