My neighbor dumps rubble or garbage in the street, or burns waste, in Peru: what can I do?

What is banned

Three sets of rules cover what neighbors usually get wrong with their waste.

Dumping garbage or rubble where it does not belong. The Solid Waste Law (Legislative Decree 1278), article 44, says:

«Está prohibido el abandono, vertido o disposición de residuos en lugares no autorizados por la autoridad competente o aquellos establecidos por Ley.»

(Abandoning, dumping or disposing of waste in places not authorized by the competent authority or by law is banned.)

Abandoning rubble in the street. The regulation on construction and demolition waste (Supreme Decree 002-2022-VIVIENDA), article 56.1, is more direct:

«Está prohibido el abandono o arrojo de residuos sólidos de la construcción y demolición en espacios públicos o bienes de dominio público […]. El incumplimiento de esta disposición es materia de sanción por parte de la autoridad municipal o de la EFA competente»

(Abandoning or throwing construction and demolition waste in public spaces or public property is banned. Breaking this rule can be sanctioned by the municipal authority or the competent environmental inspection body.)

The same regulation bans piling rubble “en terrenos o predios sin construir, así como sobre áreas verdes, quebradas, laderas” (on vacant lots, green areas, ravines, slopes) and similar areas, and says the municipality can sanction it (articles 35.4 and 35.5). In Peru this rubble is usually called desmonte.

Burning waste. The regulation of the Solid Waste Law (Supreme Decree 014-2017-MINAM), article 61, ends with one short sentence:

«Queda prohibida la quema de residuos sólidos en general.»

(Burning solid waste is banned in general.)

The sentence sits in the article on waste treatment, but it says “in general”. It makes no exception for your own roof or yard.

Rubble on the sidewalk: what is allowed

Leaving rubble outside a building site for a while is not always illegal. Article 35.3 of the rubble regulation says using the street to store and load it “se encuentra sujeta a la regulación establecida por las municipalidades” (is subject to the rules each municipality sets). Whoever does it must “garantizar el tránsito peatonal y vehicular, así como la limpieza y la recuperación de las condiciones de la acera y/o calzada” (keep pedestrian and vehicle traffic moving, and clean and restore the sidewalk or road).

The line is between using the street under your district’s rules and abandoning the rubble there. The first depends on the local ordinance. The second is banned.

Small works: the municipality has a system

Rubble from a home renovation counts, under these rules, as rubble from minor works (obras menores). The regulation defines it as special municipal waste “manejados directamente por la municipalidad o por la EO-RS a través del sistema implementado por dicha Autoridad” (handled directly by the municipality or by an authorized waste operator through the system the municipality sets up), and sets a cap: its handling must not exceed “un volumen de 1 m3 diario hasta 7 m3 por obra” (1 m3 per day, up to 7 m3 per project) (article 2, item 26).

Law 32212 (2024) rewrote article 3 of the Solid Waste Law. Today the public cleaning service covers, among other things, “residuos de la construcción y demolición de obras menores” (rubble from minor works).

So the district municipality has these functions (article 14.1 of the rubble regulation):

• “Regular la gestión y el manejo” (regulate the handling) of minor-works rubble.
• “Manejar” (handle) that rubble “mediante el sistema que implemente para este fin” (through the system it sets up for this).
• Set a fee if the rubble is handed over to the public cleaning service or the municipal system (item c).

In practice: your neighbor has somewhere to take their rubble. If they leave it in the street instead, the municipality can sanction them.

Who sanctions: your district municipality

Several rules point to the same authority.

Article 24.1, item f, of Legislative Decree 1278, as worded by Legislative Decree 1501 (2020), gives the district municipality the power to:

«Regular, supervisar, fiscalizar y sancionar a los generadores de residuos sólidos de la construcción y demolición en el ámbito de su jurisdicción […].»

(Regulate, supervise, inspect and sanction those who generate construction and demolition waste within its jurisdiction.)

Article 79 of the same law repeats that the district municipality may “supervisar, fiscalizar y sancionar el manejo de los residuos provenientes de las actividades de construcción y demolición” (supervise, inspect and sanction the handling of construction and demolition waste) and also sanction “a los generadores del ámbito de su competencia por incumplimiento del presente Decreto Legislativo y su Reglamento” (waste generators within its remit who break this law and its regulation). That last part includes the ban on burning.

The Municipalities Law (Law 27972), article 80, item 3.1, gives the district municipality the exclusive function to “proveer del servicio de limpieza pública” (provide the public cleaning service).

There is one exception: investment projects subject to the environmental impact assessment system or to an environmental management instrument are inspected by another authority, not the municipality (article 24.1.f). A home renovation is not one of those.

How much is the fine: it depends on your district

There is no single national fine for the neighbor. Article 80 of Legislative Decree 1278 says local governments “pueden tipificar sus infracciones, establecer sus sanciones, los criterios de graduación, límites de la multa” (may define their infractions, set their sanctions, grading criteria and fine limits). And the Municipalities Law, article 46:

«Las ordenanzas determinan el régimen de sanciones administrativas por la infracción de sus disposiciones, estableciendo las escalas de multas en función de la gravedad de la falta, así como la imposición de sanciones no pecuniarias.»

(Ordinances set the system of administrative sanctions for breaking municipal rules, with fine scales based on how serious the offense is, and non-monetary sanctions.)

To find the amount, look up your municipality’s ordinance on infractions and sanctions.

An old rule that no longer applies

Many websites still cite Supreme Decree 003-2013-VIVIENDA for rubble. It is no longer in force: Supreme Decree 002-2022-VIVIENDA says “Derógase el Decreto Supremo Nº 003-2013-VIVIENDA” (Supreme Decree 003-2013-VIVIENDA is repealed).

What this page does not cover

We did not review any specific district’s ordinances, so we give no fine amounts or collection schedules. We do not cover large works or projects with an environmental management instrument, illegal dumps, or the split between OEFA and the municipality on final disposal of waste. We also did not check whether burning waste can be a crime. If what bothers you is the smoke or noise from the works more than the waste, see noise and neighbor disturbances. If the works have no permit, see building without a license. If your question is how much you pay for the cleaning service, see municipal arbitrios.