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Environment Ministry Receives Rising Number of Complaints About Waste and Noise Pollution
🇺🇾 Uruguay /Environment & Climate

Environment Ministry Receives Rising Number of Complaints About Waste and Noise Pollution

From El País · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Documents & data Context piece
  • Uruguay’s Environment Ministry received 2,410 environmental complaints in 2025, up 36% from 2024 and 170% from 2020.
  • Complaints commonly involved waste, odors, sewage, noise, illegal wildlife sales and the effects of businesses or projects on residents.
  • The ministry forwarded 1,053 complaints to municipal authorities because they fell under local jurisdiction.

Residents across Montevideo continue to report problems ranging from constant rubbish burning and toxic smoke to overflowing septic tanks, grease traps and animal waste in public ditches.

You cannot breathe because of all the dust.

— Unnamed residentA complaint about dust and pollution affecting the resident’s home.

The Environment Ministry received 2,410 environmental complaints in 2025, according to records obtained by El País through a public information request. The total rose 36% from the previous year and stood 170% above the figure recorded in 2020, when the ministry was created.

Bad odors formed one of the largest groups of complaints, particularly in disputes involving neighbors and nearby businesses. One resident said smoke from the constant burning of rubbish without a chimney invaded the property and made it impossible to leave the house. Another said an overflowing septic tank and grease trap created conditions so unpleasant that the resident could neither ventilate the home nor use the garden.

They keep several pets crowded together, more than six dogs and more than 10 cats, and do not collect their feces.

— Unnamed complainantA complaint cited by the ministry as an example of neighborhood environmental problems.

Sewage management also featured repeatedly. One complainant said neighbors discharged waste beside the house because they had no bathroom or had not completed one. Other complaints concerned the impact of development projects, conflicts over smells and wastewater, illegal animal sales, and commercial activity affecting daily life.

Constant burning of rubbish.

— Unnamed complainantThe complaint described smoke from burning waste without a chimney.

Of the 2,410 complaints, 1,053 went to municipal governments because the issues fell within their jurisdiction. The ministry said it nevertheless handled 31 complaints involving matters linked to departmental governments. Wildlife protection also appeared in the records. Capturing, keeping, buying and selling native wild birds is illegal in Uruguay, yet one person reported hawks for sale at the Piedras Blancas market, while another described someone using bird traps in an area with many native species.

Dense, toxic smoke.

— Unnamed complainantThe resident’s description of the smoke entering the property.
About this summary

Originally published by El País in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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