Morovis replaces recycling pickup with voluntary dropoff in fiscal adjustment move

Morovis Mayor Carmen Maldonado González

By THE STAR STAFF

Morovis Mayor Carmen Maldonado González announced this week that as part of the ongoing review of her fiscal and administrative work, she analyzed the municipal recycling program, which has provided for the collection of cardboard, aluminum, plastics and paper from homes and some businesses, to be sent to recycling companies.

The mayor found that the operation became too costly for the administration given the funds budgeted for it and the limited collections received from the program, resulting in a terrible loss of 90% of the funds invested.

“On June 25, we publicly reported (on social media and in the press) that Orlando Rivera Berríos, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OGP), reported that Morovis was one of the municipalities excluded from the allocation of funds from the so-called ‘financial bailout’ determined by the Fiscal Control [Financial Oversight and Management] Board,” Maldonado González stated. “That entity published the list of municipalities that did receive allocations of up to $950,000. Morovis was not on either list” despite, the mayor noted, the fact that the municipality submitted all the documentation required by the oversight board, but received no response from the entity.

“Given this reality, we will have to suspend the recycling collection service, effective Monday, November 3, 2025,” she said.

Maldonado González emphasized that the solid waste and debris collection service will continue as usual.

“In the fiscal and administrative analysis, health and safety are priorities, but the commitment to recycling will have a different approach,” she said.

The municipality will begin a monthly activity at the Gerardo “Gerry” Torres Sports Complex so that families and businesses interested in recycling cardboard, plastic and paper can drop off their collected materials at the site.

“Since the beginning of my administration, I have been faithful to the principle of fiscal responsibility and clear communication with the public,” Maldonado González said. “The decisions we make are based on facts and with the general welfare in mind. Of course, as fiscal conditions change, we will continue to inform the Moroveño people.”