Cancún Aims to Cut 65% of Plastic Waste in 3 Years

Cancún, Mexico — Cancún has become the first tourist destination in Mexico to join the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, an international alliance backed by the United Nations and the World Tourism Organization that promotes the elimination of unnecessary plastics in the tourism industry. The announcement was made during the launch of the "Destino Cero Residuos Cancún" project, led by Sustentur and its director, Vicente Ferreyra Acosta, with the goal of transforming waste management and positioning Cancún as a global reference for sustainability.

"This is an important step to care for our resources, and we want it to inspire other destinations to get involved in these issues. It is a strong commitment to work together," Ferreyra highlighted.

A Public, Private, and Societal Alliance

The project will begin with the participation of the 89 hotels affiliated with the Cancún, Puerto Morelos, and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association, in coordination with the Association's Environmental Committee and various departments of the Benito Juárez Municipal Government, such as Siresol, Ecology, and Tourism.

The financing will be tripartite:

• The TUI Care Foundation will contribute 40% of the resources,
• the municipality will contribute 50%,
• and the remainder will come from the private sector, with a total budget of 14 million pesos.

Reduce, Train, and Measure: The Three Pillars of the Project

Ferreyra explained that one of the first actions will be to diagnose the current situation of waste in the lodging centers, as there is no clear record of how much is recycled, who collects it, or what the final destination of the waste is.

The plan also includes training for hotels, environmental awareness campaigns aimed at tourists and the local community, and the implementation of circular solutions in waste management.

Currently, seven hotels in Cancún, including the Iberostar Cancún, are already applying plastic reduction practices and have managed to reduce their unnecessary waste by between 35% and 40% in the first year.

An Ambitious Goal: 65% Less Plastic in Three Years

The commitment of "Destino Cero Residuos" is to eliminate 65% of unnecessary plastics within three years, in addition to having a comprehensive diagnosis that allows for the definition of long-term strategies.

"In Quintana Roo, as in other tourist destinations, garbage is one of the great challenges. It is not enough to reduce; we must improve collection and avoid burning or improper disposal that causes environmental damage," emphasized Ferreyra Acosta.