In Chilpancingo, Guerrero, transfers are accepted to pay for garbage collection

Waste collectors in the municipality of Chilpancingo have taken a step toward modernization that seemed unthinkable just a few years ago: bank transfers are now accepted as a voluntary payment method for collection services. The initiative came directly from the workers themselves, who, tired of hearing the classic “I don’t have change,” decided to adapt their methods to new financial habits. According to reports from El Sol de Acapulco, one of the collectors, Óscar Michel, posted a notice on the truck with a Banorte account to receive electronic donations from satisfied citizens. What started as a pragmatic solution now points toward a more ambitious future: the workers are already preparing to incorporate a terminal that allows card payments directly on the street.

From cash to digital banking: how collectors modernized their methods

The shift from cash to digital payment methods reflects a broader reality. For decades, Chilpancingo faced a structural waste management problem that no municipal administration managed to fully resolve. Residents, accustomed to contributing financially to the collectors, can now do so without carrying coins in their pockets. Voluntary transfers are accepted, maintaining the spirit of citizen collaboration that has characterized this hybrid service between public and private sectors. The next step—adding card payment terminals—suggests that these workers are not only seeking to modernize but also to lead a change in how everyday street economies are financed in Chilpancingo.

Three decades of municipal crisis and improvised solutions

To understand the magnitude of the current change, it’s necessary to go back three decades. During the administration of then-mayor Saúl Alarcón Abarca, deficiencies in municipal service led to concessions being granted to private collectors, some operating even on bicycles. Over time, this practice evolved into a popular movement known as “La Basura Jefa,” where more than 200 private trucks roamed the city offering to take waste in exchange for voluntary cooperation.

The hybrid model became part of daily life but reached its worst point during Marco Antonio Leyva Mena’s government, when the waste deposit in the La Cinca neighborhood was closed. The Guerrero capital then faced a humanitarian crisis: piles of trash accumulated on street corners, covered with lime to prevent infectious outbreaks. Even the plaza of the First Congress of Anáhuac was occupied by trucks loaded with waste. The opening of a pop-up cell at El Huiteco partially alleviated the situation, but did not resolve the shortage of collection vehicles or municipal coordination.

From chaos to order: waste management today

Years later, Mayor Antonio Gaspar implemented a unit rental scheme to strengthen the service and combat the habit of leaving trash in public spaces. When Norma Otilia Hernández took office, she acquired 20 trucks under a leasing model with a purchase option, but by the end of her term, most were withdrawn by the provider company. The current city government has purchased some units to replace those that left and launched a campaign against those dumping waste in public areas.

By 2026, more than 20 people have been detained and fined several thousand pesos for violations of collection regulations. Meanwhile, the workers continue to play a critical role: they collect around 400 tons of trash daily from Chilpancingo and transport it to the municipal dump, which faces increasing problems of over-saturation and environmental risks.

Digital economy on the streets: the future of neighborhood cooperation

The digitization of tips is not just a technological curiosity or a generational whim. It marks a turning point in how the informal economy functions in Mexican cities. That a garbage truck accepts bank transfers and prepares to process card payments reveals how sectors considered “traditional” are quickly adapting to new financial ecosystems. The collectors in Chilpancingo, far from falling behind, have shown that transfers are accepted not only because they are convenient but because they are inevitable. The next frontier will be to see if these expanded digitalization models reach other municipal services and if workers in similar sectors follow suit. What began as a response to the lack of change now points toward a deeper reimagining of how citizens support and validate public services in times of digital transition.