Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – The Puerto Vallarta Directorate of Municipal Public Services is working overtime to keep the city clean during the Semana Santa and Pascua holiday period in an effort to give visitors a good impression of this popular beach vacation destination.
Municipal Public Services director José Ascención Gil Calleja reported that, following the directive of Mayor Luis Alberto Michel Rodríguez (Profe Michel), efforts have been redoubled with equipment and personnel to guarantee the cleanliness of the city, specifically in the downtown area, beaches and tourist strip, without neglecting the colonias and delegations of the municipality. The work is being carried out in coordination with other areas of the administration such as Civil Protection and SEAPAL Vallarta.
He indicated that the unit under his charge, as well as units that were provided through the water and Municipal Heritage departments, had previously prepared for the vacation period, which began on April 1, by procuring human and material resources to streamline the actions that are being carried out on these dates.
In addition, the Directorate of Municipal Public Services will serve as the headquarters to ensure timely and efficient service to both residents and the national and international visitors who arrive this season.
Gil Calleja specified that among the actions that have been reinforced is the cleaning of the Malecón in the three shifts, in addition to power washing the boardwalk at dawn and a special crew that was implemented on the night shift to remove all the garbage that is generated in the area each day.
Los Arcos del Malecón, Los Muertos Pier, and street corners and sidewalks in the Downtown area and the Emiliano Zapata neighborhood are all power-washed every morning. This, in addition to the three shifts of garbage collection, the cleaning of bus stops, and the removal of litter along the main avenue and public squares, will make the city cleaner for residents and visitors alike.
He emphasized the cleaning of the city’s beaches, where his staff is working extended hours (from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm) for garbage collection, which typically increases by up to 30 percent during the Easter vacation period, with the main objective of keeping both the beaches and the waters of Banderas Bay clean.
He noted that an average of 470 to 490 tons of garbage is normally collected daily in the city, and on the beaches it increases from 2.5 to 3.4 tons per day on these dates.
He specified that there are 50 collection routes, of which 43 are covered with compactor trucks and 7 routes with container trucks to serve the three shifts, and around 100 elements have been mobilized for the cleaning of the city and its 19 beaches.
The municipal official pointed out that the other areas in his charge, such as the Sanitary Landfill, maintains normal operations in this period with the reception and treatment of the waste generated. The municipal Rastro works in an ordinary way, as does Public Lighting, which also maintains night guards in case any service is required, as well as carrying out tours in the city to check lights, while the Parks and Gardens department continues with the pruning and maintenance of green areas along the avenues.
“We are ready, there is a lot of activity; we are attending to the municipality so that our visitors find a clean city,” Gil Calleja said. He also took the opportunity to call on citizens and visitors to keep our beaches and public spaces clean.