Indefinite blockade on Mexico-Puebla federal highway and Calzada Guadalupe over Cholula landfill leachate, Digi Mart USA News (Puebla, Mexico): On Wednesday, November 4, members of the Union of Towns and Subdivisions Against the Dump and in Defense of Water set up an indefinite blockade on the Mexico-Puebla federal highway and Calzada Guadalupe. With support from transport workers of the Mexican Alliance of Transport Organizations (Amotac), protesters blocked traffic at the Cerrito de Guadalupe junction, which also includes the Cholula-Huejotzingo boulevard.
Protesters placed tires, tarps and a tent to remain at the site until they receive a response to their demands. The main concern of residents is the seepage of leachate, liquids produced by the decomposition of waste.
They say the liquids reach the subsoil and threaten water wells used by communities in the region.
The demonstrators also demand that machinery belonging to the company Pro-Faj be removed, that an excavation linked to the landfill expansion project be covered, and that infrastructure remaining on the site be dismantled.
The protest comes despite the Federal Attorney General’s Office for Environmental Protection (Profepa) ordering the definitive closure of the Cholula sanitary landfill on August 21, 2024. At that time, the authority determined that the site had reached the end of its useful life and could no longer receive waste.
However, the closure did not end the work required to address accumulated waste and prevent environmental damage. The company was required to continue treatment and control work to prevent leachate seepage and other risks from waste decomposition.
In March 2026, authorities from all three levels of government, representatives of the towns and Pro-Faj agreed to launch a remediation program. It included ruling out any expansion of the Cholula landfill and preventing new waste from entering the site.
Residents, however, maintain that the commitments have not been fully met and that environmental damage continues without a definitive solution.
Carlos Carrillo, government delegate, said authorities have maintained pressure on the responsible company and have even collaborated on cleanup work.
Meanwhile, protesters maintain their position of not removing the blockade until they receive answers and concrete actions. The protest also affects people who use this junction to travel between San Pedro Cholula and the highway toward Huejotzingo.
The conflict keeps communities on edge; since 2024 they have mobilized to stop the landfill from receiving more garbage and to demand protection of water in the region.
