Citizen Complaints Lead to Closure of Illegal Waste Storage Site in Cancún

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Citizen complaints about potential pollution have led the municipal Ecology Department to seal a property being used to store waste vegetable oils and fats without the required authorization.

Fernando Haro Salinas, the department’s director, said the office receives five to ten citizen environmental reports every day. “Each report is channeled for review through inspections and verification visits to determine whether any environmental regulations have been violated,” he said.

One of those reports led, about two weeks ago, to the inspection of a property where waste vegetable oils and fats — classified as special management waste — were being accumulated. Inspectors determined the site did not meet the conditions required for proper handling of such materials.

According to Haro Salinas, those responsible had documentation allowing them to transport and collect the waste, but they lacked the authorization to store it at the property, which was operating as a collection center.

Municipal authorities placed closure seals on the site and opened an administrative proceeding. Because the waste is subject to state regulation, the case was also referred to the state environmental protection agency (Procuraduría de Protección al Ambiente, or PPA).

Haro Salinas said this is the first case in 2026 in which the municipal Ecology Department has closed a facility specifically for the irregular handling of special management waste. He added that inspections have also identified problems with the disposal and handling of municipal solid waste, an area in which the city has direct authority to intervene and impose sanctions.

Penalties for violating environmental regulations can range from closure of establishments to mandatory remediation work when soil contamination is confirmed. Fines may also be imposed, with amounts depending on the severity of the damage, and permits can be revoked by state authorities.