Cancún to Open Glass Collection Center as Part of Circular Economy Push

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Private companies and environmental groups are teaming up on a circular economy strategy aimed at squeezing value out of the glass and PET plastic that Cancún’s tourism industry throws away, starting with a new collection center on Avenida José López Portillo.

The facility is expected to open in about three months. Run by Alejandra Corona Contreras, director of the firm Pepe Nice, it will buy glass from waste pickers, independent collectors, scrap dealers, bars, restaurants and cafés.

The company currently recovers 40 tonnes of glass a month. With the new infrastructure, it aims to scale that to 500 tonnes a month — 12 times the current volume — turning discarded bottles into direct income for the community.

Hotels Audit Their Waste

In parallel, the hotel sector is moving ahead with “Turismo Circular,” a project approved to diagnose and address how lodging establishments dispose of glass and PET, said Lucely Rosado González, vice president of the Cancún, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association.

The Hotel Zone alone is estimated to generate around 300 tonnes a day of the two materials combined.

The plan’s first phase is diagnostic, with initial results due in November 2026. That stage will pin down exact generation volumes, transfer routes and the final destination of the waste, and will pair with technical training and outreach campaigns for the people responsible for handling waste in the hotel sector.

Officials and organizers frame the effort as a way to close Mexico’s national gap in glass recycling while building a more sustainable development model for the region.