New Garbage Dump Opens
Amidst Protests
Blockades greeted the
opening of the new
garbage dump in Aserri
yesterday. The official
opening ceremony of the
sanitary fill on the
south side of San José
was to have taken place
at 9:30am, but due to a
blockade by local
residents opposing the
dump in their backyard,
the ceremony was called
off as Juan Vicente
Durán, manager of EBI
Costa Rica dealt with
the protestors.
The new dump replaces
the closed dump Rio Azul
in San Antonio de
Desemparados is located
in the area known as El
Huaso.
The area residents want
the municipality to fix
the roads and bridges
and to finance a number
of social programs
including a recycling
project and set a
community committee.
The negotiations were
between EBI, the
operator of the
landfill, and
representatives from the
Comité Cívico de
Desamparados, the
Asociación de Desarrollo
de La Capri and the
local "regidor"
(councilman) for the
area, Carlos Agüero.
EBI agrees to fix some
1.5 kilometres of the
main road in El Huaso
and repair the roads
between Desamparados and
Aserrí.
"Not one bag of garbage
will enter the dump
until first the main
road is fixed", Durán
told the protestors.
The ministra de Salud
(health minister), María
Luisa Ávila, nor the
mayor of Aserrí, Mario
Morales, nor the mayor
of Desampararos, Mauren
Fallas, were present for
the inauguration
ceremony.
Minister Avila said that
she was busy with a
press conference
yesterday and could not
attend, while Aserrí
mayor Morales was up to
his neck with personal
problems following his
suspension of his post
for the next six months
while he is being
investigated for
corruption.
The new landfill has a
daily capacity of 1.000
tons of garbage. |
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