Since taking over operations at Oomislim, there has been a change with results, not just talk.
We haven’t had a fire at the landfill in six months, and that fills us with pride.
We found an Oomislim without vehicles, without organization, and without routes; today it’s a completely different operation.
The new landfill must last at least 20 years; we want to do things right.
I’ve never seen such a deep interest in environmental issues as I do today.
Peñasco is ready to receive investment and become a leading port.
The change in waste management has marked a turning point for Puerto Peñasco. Since Mayor Óscar Castro took office, and with the direct support of the state government, the Municipal Solid Waste Management Agency (Oomislim) began a profound reorganization process. At the helm of operations is Heberto Reyna Gallegos, a young bioengineer who arrived with the conviction to provide solutions to one of the port’s long-standing problems: garbage.
Reyna recalls that her arrival coincided with a critical situation: an organization without sufficient units, without defined routes, without administrative control, and with a landfill practically at capacity. An open-air dump with fires every 30 days, without any regulation or monitoring. “It was an organization without organization at any level,” she summarizes. Today, that scenario has begun to change.
The progress has been tangible. New collection units, scientifically organized routes, environmental studies, and six full months without fires at the landfill mark a turning point. From this operational order, Oomislim entered a phase of transformation that not only addresses the present but also projects the future: a new landfill, located outside the urban area, designed for a minimum lifespan of 20 years and with a comprehensive approach from its inception.
Heberto insists that the method is key. His scientific background supports this, and it is also the message he sends to the public. “If you want to touch the hearts of the people of Peñasco, speak to them through the lens of garbage and water,” she states, explaining that waste management is not just a technical issue, but also a social, tourism, and public health concern. For this reason, the organization is already working on prevention, campaigns, conferences, and collaboration with various institutions to improve the city’s image and reduce health risks.
What lies ahead is no small feat. Safely closing the current landfill, constructing the new site, supporting population and tourism growth, and maintaining an efficient collection system are goals that Reyna describes as a challenge, but not a threat. With the support of the municipality and the state, she assures that Peñasco is ready to consolidate a modern waste management model and a cleaner, more sustainable environment. “Oomislim has already changed, and so has Peñasco,” she declares.
There has been progress; as with everything, structuring and reorganizing takes time, but the changes since the arrival of our mayor, Oscar Castro, have been significant—very positive, I would say. Especially at the Municipal Solid Waste Management Agency (Oomislim), where I’m the operations director.
I joined at the beginning of the year, not in September of last year, but in January of this year. I’m a bioengineer by training, with prior knowledge of waste management, water issues, and everything related to the environment.
I finished some studies in Ensenada, and I came to see how I could help the port, given the context of some of the environmental problems in Puerto Peñasco. I arrived with the intention of helping, submitted my resume, and shortly after, they called me to lend a hand.
How did you find Oomislim when you arrived?
I joined the operations side, as operations director, and we found a complicated situation. It was an agency that didn’t have collection vehicles, there was no organization at any level, no route organization, no organization in the collection process, and there was also a certain lack of control in the administrative area.
But we’ve been working little by little; it’s been a very interesting journey, now focusing on the comprehensive development of the organization itself.
What results have you had this year?
Let’s go point by point. On the operational side, the collection process—we obtained more units thanks to state support. We now have a total of eight collection units that have been responsible for increasing and streamlining the entire collection system. We’ve worked hard on organizing the routes. I come from a scientific background where methodology is key, so the solution isn’t immediate, and we’ve been progressing exponentially.
Source: nuevosonora
