The increase of heavy and domestic garbage in the streets is a worldwide problem. In Tijuana, the Municipal Government is in charge of applying penalties for improper disposal of waste through the city's cleaning regulations.

In addition to having 755 collection routes and carrying out cleanup days, the Municipal Public Services Department (DSPM) conducts tours and attends to citizen reports related to clandestine dumping of garbage, in order to apply the corresponding sanctions if citizens are found in flagrancy.

The Cleanliness Regulations state that all persons who own, lease or inhabit any property located in the municipality of Tijuana, Baja California, as well as those who transit through its territory, are obligated subjects of the regulations, and any of them may report to the competent authority any violation of these regulations so that the corresponding measures may be taken.

Its application has allowed that in a period of 1 year and 7 months, 12 thousand 139 fines have been enforced, ranging from 716 to 5 thousand 377 pesos, depending on the article that is being violated. So far in 2021 alone, 2 thousand 895 fines have been issued, which must be paid by the offender within a period of no more than three days.

The problem of pollution is a global issue, in this regard, María Fernanda Espinosa, former president of the General Assembly of the United Nations, says that, "The amount of urban solid waste far exceeds the capacity of most cities to manage it", which leads to a problem for the population.

Municipal authorities have been emphatic about the importance of caring for the environment and promoting its care among generations, which has been made possible with the support of weekly cleanup days, in which both public officials and residents of the nine delegations that make up the city participate.

With these activities, in 1 year and 7 months, the municipality has collected more than 6 thousand 500 tons of heavy garbage and 1 million 26 thousand 101 tons of domestic garbage, in addition to the pruning, forestation and reforestation actions that are carried out in parks, walkways and green areas throughout the city, in compliance with article 17 of the Municipal Cleaning Regulations.

This article states: it is the obligation of the population of Tijuana, and of the people who pass through its territory, to actively participate in keeping public roads and common areas of the city clean, since maintaining public spaces in optimal conditions is a shared responsibility between society and government.

Recently, the commitment to care for and protect public spaces, as well as roads and unpopulated spaces in the city has been assumed with great responsibility by citizens, who in addition to supporting their cleaning, actively participate in preventive actions.

Through the 072 telephone line, the City Council attends to various reports, including those related to littering on public roads and in prohibited areas, as they are aware that activities that threaten the environment carry a penalty that must be covered by the offender.

The Municipal Public Services Department (DSPM), in addition to responding to citizens' calls, makes continuous tours of the neighborhoods of the nine delegations to maintain recreational areas, public spaces and green areas, ranging from sidewalks to neighborhood parks.

It is during these activities when the agency applies fines to those who are seen in flagrante, throwing heavy waste or household garbage in unauthorized spaces. The DSPM makes special emphasis on the fact that in order to apply fines, it is necessary that the citizen is found in such act.

Regarding sanctions, Article 56 of the regulation states that these shall be applied taking into consideration the magnitude and seriousness of the infraction, the reoccurrence, its effects to the detriment of the public interest and the benefit or profit obtained by the offender as a result of the omission or sanctioned act.

Once the sanction has been applied, the offender has three days to make the corresponding payment. It should be noted that if the penalty is not paid, it will be turned over to the Municipal Treasury so that the citizen will receive a requirement for non-payment.

The municipal authority emphasizes that the care of the environment is a joint work of the society with the three orders of government. The cleaning and removal of garbage continues, as well as the application of fines and sanctions to raise awareness among the population about the harmful effects of waste.

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