Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Mayor Estefanía Mercado has launched the “Sargasso Challenge 2026,” calling on business groups, hoteliers, service providers, public servants and residents to join efforts to collect the macroalgae, which could exceed 35,000 tons this season.
“Family of Playa del Carmen, the Sargasso Challenge 2026 has begun. Every day, more than 300 men and women from the Navy, ZOFEMAT and the City Council work tirelessly to keep our beaches clean,” the mayor said.
The first three organizations invited to take the pledge were the Mexican Association of Businesswomen (Amexme), the Employers’ Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex) and the Riviera Maya Hotel Association. “Because caring for our beaches is a shared responsibility,” Mercado said.
“We need reinforcements,” she added, explaining that the challenge aims to strengthen civic awareness, encourage social participation in environmental care and foster a greater sense of ownership toward the municipality’s beaches.
Speaking from the beach at 4th North Street, the mayor highlighted that with support from the Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat) and the Mexican Navy (Semar), crews have removed about 14,000 tons of sargasso from public beaches so far this season.
She also reported that more than 2.5 kilometers of anti-sargasso barriers have been installed, with another 2.5 kilometers on the way to further protect the coast.
“And something very important: sargasso doesn’t arrive every day or on every beach. Stay tuned to the Environment Department’s social media and check the Sargasso Traffic Light to know which beaches are clear and ready to enjoy,” she suggested.
Zofemat Director Irving Rafael Lili Madrigal agreed that sargasso behavior is variable and does not affect all beaches equally. “There are areas where it arrives heavily and others where we practically have no presence,” he explained.
Regarding Navy support, he confirmed that more personnel will gradually be added to reinforce cleanup efforts, though operations will depend on the intensity of the influx, which is estimated to exceed 35,000 tons this year. “Together we have about 320 people working on the beaches, plus those who will join through the Sargasso Challenge 2026,” he said.
During the beach tour, the mayor was accompanied by Sustainable Environment and Climate Change Secretary Kandy Mendoza.
