What Happened
The Cabinet approved an exceptional contract between the Urban and Household Cleaning Authority and Elektra Noreste, S.A. to collect the sanitation fee in San Miguelito through electricity billing. The agreement is valued at $4.5 million and will run for five years, through January 19, 2031.
Under the deal, ENSA will add the cleaning fee to electric bills, distribute invoices, collect payments, and manage overdue accounts for residential and commercial customers in the district.
Why the Decision Matters
The move comes as San Miguelito continues to deal with a strained waste collection system. After the concession with Recicladora Vida y Salud, S.A. ended on January 18, the district faced repeated failures that contributed to garbage buildup and the spread of informal dumps, creating public health concerns for residents.
In response, the Urban and Household Cleaning Authority took direct control of operations under government order. The new contract is designed to support fee collection while the service is being managed through this transitional arrangement.
Legal and Political Tensions
The approval also deepens a dispute with San Miguelito Mayor Irma Hernández. On March 26, the Office of the Attorney General for Administration sided with Hernández, finding that the Authority’s decision to assume the waste service and collect the fee in the district was illegal.
Hernández later said on social media that the ENSA contract was approved without the backing of the San Miguelito Municipal Council. The Cabinet’s decision was made on March 31, according to Cabinet Resolution No. 21 published in the Official Gazette.
Background
San Miguelito, one of the country’s most densely populated districts, has long faced pressure over garbage collection and sanitation. The latest contract links waste fee collection to the electricity system, a model that can improve payment recovery by tying the charge to a basic utility service used by households and businesses.
The government’s challenge now is to stabilize sanitation operations while the district remains at the center of a legal and administrative conflict over who has authority to manage the service and collect the fee.