The waste collection company Ecoterra has permanently shut down after Baja California’s state environmental prosecutor revoked its operating permits, leaving commercial and industrial businesses across Ensenada without trash pickup and causing roughly 900 tons of garbage to pile up in one week.
The Procuraduría de Protección al Ambiente (State Environmental Protection Agency) suspended Ecoterra’s operations effective June 2 after determining the company lacked required state permits, including an Environmental Impact Statement. State environmental prosecutor Omar Javier Durán Contreras announced the decision at a press conference, noting that Ecoterra, formally registered as Recolectora de la Ciudad, S.A. de C.V., had been warned of its regulatory violations approximately a year earlier.
The company had ample time to submit the missing documentation and correct course but failed to do so. Authorities also detected irregular waste handling practices that posed environmental risks to Ensenada.
Company Announces Permanent Shutdown
On June 8, Ecoterra issued a statement to its clients confirming it would cease all operations permanently. “Due to the closure of our collection center and the suspension of our collection permits by environmental authorities, Ecoterra has been unable to continue operating,” the company wrote. Ecoterra was one of Ensenada’s largest private waste haulers, serving businesses and factories. Under Ensenada’s municipal rules, commercial and industrial waste cannot be collected by the public trash service, making private contractors essential.
The closure hit restaurants, shops, and manufacturers across the city. The national restaurant industry chamber, Canirac Ensenada, confirmed that its members were among those affected by the service gap.
Workers Left Without Pay, New Alliance Formed
Ecoterra’s former employees have also raised alarms. The company left workers without severance pay. Baja California’s labor secretary, Alejandro Arregui Ibarra, said his office is representing an initial group of about seven workers, with more coming forward. He warned that if Ecoterra does not meet its obligations to employees, the state will file a formal complaint before the labor tribunal. Arregui Ibarra added that other waste companies in Ensenada will likely need qualified workers.
To address the trash backlog, authorities brokered an alliance with another company, Eco Recolectora del Norte, to restore commercial waste collection. Canirac Ensenada said the transition is progressing and called on all waste generators and service providers to comply with current environmental regulations.
The situation was first reported by Ensenada.net and covered by El Vigía, El Imparcial, and Punto Norte.