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Mexico City Mandates Three-Bin Waste Separation Starting Jan. 1, 2026

Officials target steep gains in recycling, saying proper sorting could recover up to 75% of refuse and committing to transform half by 2030.

Overview

  • The “Transforma tu Ciudad, Cada Residuo en su Lugar” program requires organics in green, recyclables in gray, and non-recyclables in orange, with organics collected on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and the other two streams on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
  • House-to-house outreach began in Azcapotzalco with delivery of three containers per home, and trained crews are tasked with keeping streams separate through collection and transfer stations.
  • The city will add 50 new garbage trucks on January 6 in coordination with boroughs, and it is expanding compost capacity and building two organic-treatment facilities.
  • Authorities warn that improperly separated or off-schedule waste may be left uncollected, and no fine schedule has been specified.
  • Only about 15% of trash currently arrives pre-sorted, and reports of irregular service and persistent illegal dumps have residents questioning how smoothly the rollout will proceed.