EMAC Is Studying Land for a New “Green Complex” in Cuenca

Cuenca's municipal waste company is starting the planning work for a new Complejo Verde de Cuenca.

The project would include two centers: one for citizen attention and environmental education, and another for logistics, transport and operations.

What EMAC Is Studying

EMAC EP, Cuenca's municipal sanitation company, is in a preliminary land-identification stage.

Two sites are being analyzed to see whether they meet the technical requirements for the project.

The evaluation includes several municipal and utility entities: the Planning Directorate, Comisión de Gestión Ambiental, Secretaría de Gestión de Riesgos, ETAPA EP, EMOV EP and Centrosur.

The Two Proposed Centers

For the citizen-service center, María Caridad Vásquez, EMAC's manager, said one option is municipal land near Parque La Libertad. That center would require an investment of about $2 million.

The space would include environmental-education classrooms, an interpretation museum about integrated waste management, a BioEmac point, offices for citizen procedures and other complementary areas.

The logistics and operations center is estimated at $3 million. EMAC is reviewing a municipal property beside its operating plant in the Parque Industrial.

That center would house garbage-truck parking, mechanical workshops, washing areas and operational offices for fleet management.

Why Location Matters

EMAC is also studying whether the site can reduce mobilization costs to the Pichacay sanitary landfill.

The company expects to identify the technical sites within two months so it can consolidate the technical file. After that, administrative steps and mayoral approval would be needed before construction could move forward next year.

The construction of the Complejo Verde is part of a $26 million credit from the French Development Agency for works and projects in Cuenca.

What This Means Locally

This is not a ribbon-cutting yet. It is a land and planning story.

But waste operations are one of those city services you only notice when they fail. If EMAC can improve fleet logistics, public service offices and environmental education in one project, the impact could show up quietly in cleaner operations, better citizen access and lower long-term movement costs.