Playa del Carmen Mayor Leads Massive Beach Cleanup to Combat Sargasso

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Mayor Estefanía Mercado led a massive beach cleanup on Saturday that brought together more than 2,000 people as part of ongoing efforts to tackle the sargasso seaweed inundating the Mexican Caribbean coast during the 2026 season.

Joined by state Government Secretary Cristina Torres, Quintana Roo Ecology and Environment Secretary Óscar Rébora, personnel from the Mexican Navy, municipal employees, union members from the CROC and the City Workers’ Union, and local residents, Mercado emphasized that the large turnout reflects a collective commitment to protecting one of the municipality’s key natural and tourism assets.

“Today Playa del Carmen shows that when we work together, no challenge can stop us. This great day is a demonstration of love for our land, responsibility for our environment, and commitment to the families who depend on tourism,” Mercado said.

The cleanup began at 7 a.m. and covered the stretch from Parque Fundadores beach to Calle 10. Crews deployed specialized equipment including four backhoes, a tractor with trailer, four dump trucks, and various hand tools.

By the end of the operation, approximately 70 metric tons of sargasso had been removed from the shoreline.

Mercado said the city is pursuing a comprehensive strategy combining preventive measures, operational actions, and interagency coordination to address the seaweed influx.

“Sargasso is a natural phenomenon that we face with work, organization, and collaboration among the three levels of government and society. We are not waiting for the problem to grow; we are acting every day to keep our beaches clean and protect our economy,” she said.

She thanked the state government and the federal government for their support in dealing with the natural phenomenon.

So far this season, more than 20,000 metric tons of sargasso have been removed from Playa del Carmen’s coasts as a result of ongoing efforts by the municipal government.

These efforts are complemented by the Mexican Navy’s work in offshore waters and the installation of 2.5 kilometers of anti-sargasso barriers off the municipality’s coast, with an additional 2.5 kilometers planned to reinforce shoreline protection.

“We will continue investing resources, strengthening institutional coordination, and calling on citizens to care for our beaches. Playa del Carmen deserves a clean, orderly, and attractive coastline for those of us who live here and for those who visit from around the world,” Mercado said.