Starting January 1, 2026, separating household waste will officially become mandatory in Mexico City. The new rule aims to recycle or reuse 50% of the 8,600 tons of solid waste the city produces every day — a major step toward sustainability in one of the world’s largest urban centers.

Mayor Clara Brugada announced the policy after installing the governing body of the Integrated Waste Management Agency, noting that currently, only 15% of garbage is properly separated. The rest ends up in landfills, streets, or ravines, contributing to pollution and public health issues.

“Every piece of waste we throw away has a direct impact on the air, water, and land,” Brugada said. “With good organization and awareness, we can transform this challenge into an opportunity to build a cleaner, more equitable, and sustainable city.”

Under the Transform Your City program, the new separation system will sort trash into three categories:

• Organic waste (food scraps, garden waste): collected Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays

• Recyclable inorganic waste (paper, glass, metal, some plastics): collected Mondays and Wednesdays

• Non-recyclable inorganic waste: collected Fridays and Sundays

The city will spend 250 million pesos on new cleaning service vehicles, with costs split between municipal and city governments. A major public education campaign will run through 2025 to help residents learn the new system and encourage participation.

The plan’s broader goals include:

• Increasing inorganic waste management by 50%

• Producing over 400,000 tons of compost from organic waste

• Recycling 100% of construction waste

• Cutting landfill disposal in half

Mexico City’s initiative comes amid growing global concern about plastic pollution and the limits of recycling. By enforcing separation at the source, officials hope to make waste management more efficient and move the capital closer to a truly circular economy.