Cuenca's Trash Fee Shortfall Is Now Showing Up In Park Maintenance

Cuenca's trash-fee change is now showing up somewhere residents can see it: parks and green spaces.

EMAC, the municipal sanitation company, says its income has fallen by 40% since it began directly collecting the trash-collection fee in October 2025. The lower cash flow is forcing the company to adjust maintenance plans for parks and green areas, with priority going to the places with the biggest problems.

What changed with the fee

The trash-collection fee used to be charged through the electric bill. After that mechanism was separated, EMAC lost immediate collection strength.

Acting manager Juan Fernando Vicuna said EMAC is now collecting approximately 60% of what it collected before. The company previously issued about USD 1.8 million per month through the fee and now receives about USD 1.2 million.

That gap matters because garbage collection cannot simply be cut off when someone does not pay. EMAC says the service is tied to public health, so collection continues while the company works to rebuild revenue through bank channels and municipal pharmacies.

Why expats should care

This is not just a municipal accounting story. Parks, river corridors, and neighborhood green areas are part of why many people like living in Cuenca. If EMAC has less liquidity, routine maintenance becomes a triage process.

That means residents may notice uneven mowing, slower attention to smaller green spaces, or a stronger focus on visibly affected areas first. The city is still maintaining public areas, but EMAC is saying openly that its priorities are being adjusted until revenue returns closer to the old level.

The practical takeaway

If your building, landlord, or neighborhood association has been casual about the trash fee, this is the consequence. The city is still collecting garbage, but lower payment compliance can show up in the quality and timing of other public services.

For residents, the simple move is to verify that your household or building is current on the fee and to report neglected green areas through official channels when maintenance falls behind.

Source: El Mercurio.