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The government of Cancun is investing heavily once more to keep its award-winning beaches spotless for travelers in 2023. The news will come as a great relief for the millions of travelers planning to visit the city this year, who can expect trash-free beaches thanks to the tireless efforts of the large force of workers who keep Cancun beaches pristine.
From an accumulation of plastic waste that harms the environment to the worrisome issue of broken glass laying under the sand out of sight — not to mention the presence of the stinky seaweed sargassum lurking around the corner — Cancun is certainly up against it, but more investment in waste-fighting resources will keep these problems at bay. Here’s a look at how the city’s local government places to tackle the issue over the coming year.
Cancun Tackles Trash Issue – What Travelers Should Know
Like with most popular destinations around the world, where there are people, there’s bound to be trash – and Cancun is no exception. Last year, the government of Cancun invested heavily towards keeping its beaches clean as news circulated that while sargassum might have gone away, garbage on the beach hadn’t. The situation escalated to the point that some travelers even refused to pay the lodging and sanitation taxes, feeling the money obviously wasn’t going towards addressing this issue.
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Thankfully, however, the message was well received, and the government worked tirelessly towards getting the beaches cleaned. Armed with around 180 full-time employees charged with maintaining the beauty of the beaches in the high season, beaches were restored to tip-top condition, allowing them to keep their coveted Blue Flag status once more. This year, the government is looking for a repeat of that success by implementing its effective trash-fighting measures once again.
According to reports, local authorities collected some 464.6 tons of waste from the seven beaches under the control of the Benito Juárez City Council, equating to an average of 38 tonnes per month – a stunning total that was in no small way connected to the record-breaking amount of travelers that visited Cancun that month. The seven beaches under the control of the council are Del Niño, Marlín, Chac Mool, Ballenas, Coral, Las Perlas, and Delfines, each of which is frequently visited by travelers.
Unsurprisingly, the wildly popular Playa Delfines was the beach that generated the most waste last year. Located at the southern tip of the hotel zone, not only is Playa Delfines the busiest beach for travelers, but at 500 meters long, it accumulates a significant amount of waste along the length of its shores. With the significant manpower patrolling the beaches and a renewed focus on keeping beaches clean this year, it’s hoped that complaints about the beach’s condition are kept to a minimum.
Beaches will also be manned with personnel who provide information about how to take care of the beach and what type of things are prohibited, which will help to deter travelers from leaving the place a mess for others as well as providing education that will have a lasting effect on beach conditions going forwards. Microplastics were deemed to be the most found material, which can have devastating impacts on marine life, while popular beach spots such as under palm trees and under dunes were places where most litter accumulated.
While garbage is one concern, sargassum is another that the beaches are set to face this year. The stinky seaweed has long since been a problem on the coast of the Mexican Caribbean, with its unsightly nature and off-putting smell putting off travelers from spending time on the beaches. As the likes of Playa Del Carmen invest in new tools to tackle sargassum, fingers are crossed that the coming year isn’t as bad as next year and that the situation is kept under control.
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