Living at Lake Chapala in Mexico

Here's a topic seldom addressed on the internet, or in any of the book on moving to Mexico ? garbage pickup.

Actually now that I think about it, no one really wants to talk about garbage; they just want it to disappear, quickly, easily and inexpensively.

Let's deal with the rubbish before you have moved to that new house at Lake Chapala and have a couple of big bags of refuse and don't know what to do with it.

For some of the new residents of Lakeside, garbage pickup is far easier and more convenient than they ever experienced back North of the border. When you live in one of the towns on Lake Chapala's north shore: Chapala, San Antonio Tlayacapan, Ajijic, San Juan Cosalá or Jocotepec, your garbage will be picked up five or six days a week by municipalidad crews and garbage trucks.

Be sure to ask your neighbors, landlord or former owner of your property where and when you need to leave your bags of trash. While the truck passes in front of my home every morning, the residents of the cross streets must bring their bags to the nearest corners. By the way, there is a local ordinance prohibiting placing your garbage at the curb more than four hours prior to pickup.

This service is one of the benefits village dwellers pay for in their property taxes.

Near the December holidays the refuse workers on your street will leave an envelope at your house to make it easy for you to give them a nice tip. Like many other workers, the garbage men work hard for very low wages.

Homeowner's Association Neighborhoods
If you've moved into La Floresta, Villa Nova, Chula Vista, Chapala Haciendas or some of the other areas with a neighborhood association, garbage pickup is usually scheduled two or three times a week. Be sure to check your area's rules so you know where to leave the trash and when.

Gate Guarded Communities and Builder's Developments
Each of the gate guarded communities forms their own rules for garbage disposal. Check with your management group, gate guards or neighbors for the procedure in your neighborhood. Some areas with gates (Mirasol is one example) have dumpsters on site for your trash, some have other pickup systems.

Responsible for your Own Refuse
In some less developed areas of Lakeside, your garbage may be your own responsibility. If you live in Canacinta, Rancho Del Oro and a few other areas that are outside the jurisdiction of the government trucks, but don't have a homeowners association, you'll be expected to either haul off your own garbage or form an alliance with a few neighbors to hire a truck to take away the bags of refuse once or twice a week.

Life is Good at Lake Chapala!