La Paz faces garbage crisis as talks fail, public assembly called

La Paz is grappling with a significant sanitation crisis, with streets and containers overflowing with garbage following a breakdown in negotiations between the city administration and urban sanitation workers. The city government has convened a public assembly, dubbed "Together in the Face of the Garbage Crisis," to tackle the escalating problem. Key discussion points will include corporate accountability in urban cleaning and necessary measures to safeguard public health.

The situation has led to a 50% reduction in waste collection services. Sanitation workers are threatening to block the Sak'a Churu landfill, while the Trébol company has warned it can no longer finance services in eastern and rural areas due to a lack of response to its requests for price adjustments since January 2026. Councilman Fernando Ruiz criticized the municipal government's silence, pointing to a decree that allows municipalities to adjust sanitation contract prices.

Mayor César Dockweiler stated that the city cannot "submit to pressure when citizens' health is at stake," as municipal teams engage in improvised garbage collection. Meanwhile, workers expressed uncertainty regarding their job security, salary payments, and benefits. The crisis underscores a deep-seated conflict over service provision, financial sustainability, and labor conditions in La Paz's waste management sector.

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we cannot submit to pressure when citizens' health is at stake