Cancun, Quintana Roo — Municipal cleanup crews have hauled 48,000 tons of garbage from Cancun’s public beaches so far in 2026, officials said. That equals 68.5% of all beach waste collected during 2025.
Arturo Javier Quintero Díaz, acting director of the Public Services Department for the municipality of Benito Juárez, said crews collected more than 70,000 tons of beach garbage last year. Waste volumes typically double during school breaks and other periods of high tourism, he said.
“We’re at 48,000 tons so far this year,” Quintero Díaz said. “Last year we were above 70,000 tons.”
Delfines and Marlin beaches hit hardest
The department said Delfines and Marlin, the largest and most frequented stretches of shoreline, accumulate the most litter. It also reported a 30% drop in cigarette butts and broken glass containers on public beaches.
Quintero Díaz credited the improvement to constant supervision by Zofemat, the federal office that manages Mexico’s coastal land zone. Zofemat staff are stationed at beach entrances from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., telling visitors that smoking and glass containers are not allowed, he said.
The acting director said the municipality will keep those checkpoints in place to protect Cancun’s tourist beaches.
More Environment
- Man Hospitalized After Apparent Crocodile Attack at Noh Bec Lagoon
- Group Calls for Sustainable Food Policies in Quintana Roo Sargassum Strategy
- Trained Eagles Serve as Aerial Sentinels for Hotels and Restaurants in the Riviera Maya
- Cozumel Park Guide Sanctioned for Using Bone to Lure Crocodile
- Bacalar lost 25,060 hectares of forest in nine years
More Cancun
- Widow of Worker Killed in Aqua Collapse Demands Justice
- Quintana Roo Performs First Robotic Surgeries at Cancún General Hospital
- Man Bound Over for Trial in Cancun Aggravated Robbery Case
- Vózeres Sees Choral Music as a Tourist Draw for Quintana Roo
- Kukulcán Boulevard in Cancún to Get 142 Accessibility Ramps and Speed Humps
