Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, October 29, 2026 – Missed garbage collections drew complaints Wednesday in Lázaro Cárdenas and 5 de Diciembre, where residents and businesses reported accumulating waste and foul odors.
In Lázaro Cárdenas, residents identified the intersection of Sierra Pirineos and Colombia as a problem spot. The collection truck had not passed since Saturday, October 24, leaving rubbish in the street.
Neighbors complained about the smell and asked authorities to remove the waste. They also feared rain could wash it into storm drains, creating obstructions and problems for motorists. The report described those concerns but did not document a blockage or flooding caused by the accumulated garbage.
In 5 de Diciembre, the complaints extended to businesses trying to keep their entrances clean. Residents and shop owners reported several days without collection, with bags and food waste piling up on sidewalks.
Business owners said the odors and rubbish were driving customers away, particularly around food establishments. They appealed to municipal public services officials to restore regular collection.
Neither report included a municipal explanation for the delays or a confirmed timetable for clearing the affected locations.
The complaints raise a practical question for households and businesses: how reliably can they plan around the published collection schedule?
The collection timetable published in July lists both Lázaro Cárdenas and 5 de Diciembre for morning service on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with a stated time of 6:30 a.m.
That schedule gives residents specific days to put out their rubbish. When a scheduled collection fails to arrive, however, bags already placed outside can remain there while households and businesses continue producing more waste.
Reliability has been a recurring concern. Vallarta Daily’s April reporting on collection problems after the city took direct control of the service described missed pickups and delayed routes in several neighborhoods.
More recently, residents on Brasil and Panamá streets complained in September about three days without collection in 5 de Diciembre. They also described trucks arriving at inconsistent hours, making it difficult to time when they put their bags outside.
Residents can consult the municipality’s Puerto Limpio neighborhood lookup, which provides a search tool for collection information.
Under the July timetable, the next regular collection day for both neighborhoods is Friday, October 30. At Sierra Pirineos and Colombia, residents have asked for the accumulated rubbish to be removed before rain carries it toward the drains.
