In the province of El Oro, a commonwealth was formed between the cantons Piñas, Atahualpa, Portovelo and Zaruma, to manage garbage. They created a public company that located the dump in the “El Chiche” area of ​​the Piñas canton.

This dump was imposed without respecting the right to consultation. Its malfunction causes garbage to be scattered along the entire route through the canton. Locals denounce that guayacán trees were felled in order to build the dumpsite. These trees are an endangered species and form part of the dry forest in the area.

The community has not had access to the studies that endorsed the granting of environmental permits for the construction of the dump.

Recently, a conservation and sustainable use area (ACUS) was established on Cerro La Chuva, where the sanitary landfill area is located, and this was also not taken into account for the establishment of the dump.