Bogotá's administration confirmed that the garbage collection model based on Exclusive Service Areas will remain in place until November 2027, following an extension granted by the Constitutional Court at the request of recyclers. Starting from that date, the city will transition to a free competition scheme. The Commission for Regulation of Water Supply and Basic Sanitation will issue a transitory regulatory framework for the five involved companies.
The director of the Special Administrative Unit for Public Services (UAESP), Armando Ojeda, and the Habitat secretary, Vanessa Velasco, announced that Bogotá will keep its current garbage collection model in Exclusive Service Areas until November 30, 2027. This decision stems from a protection action filed by recyclers before the Constitutional Court, which granted the extension to safeguard their work.
The Commission for Regulation of Water Supply and Basic Sanitation (CRA) will issue a transitory regulation allowing the five operating companies to continue in their assigned zones during this period. Ojeda supported the model by stating: “We are convinced that the Exclusive Service Areas are the best model for garbage collection in Bogotá. The free competition model requires agreements with users (…) sometimes double charges occur or not all zones are covered”.
Among the announced improvements, 35 new compacting vehicles will be acquired, and mileage in sweeping areas will be expanded. Bogotá stands as the only city in Colombia with this exclusive system, differing from the free competition model in other locations.
The Superintendency of Domiciliary Public Services will oversee tariffs charged to users, while the CRA will set criteria to ensure productivity improvements benefit citizens during the transitory regime's validity. This timeframe encompasses issuing a new waste management tariff framework, the UAESP's request for new Exclusive Service Areas, its evaluation by the CRA, a public bidding process, and the start of operations under the definitive scheme.
