Playa del Carmen to Prioritize Sargassum Cleanup at Beaches Near Fifth Avenue

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Playa del Carmen will concentrate its sargassum cleanup on the beaches closest to Fifth Avenue and designate other stretches as sacrifice zones, Mayor Estefanía Mercado Asencio said, after the city installed its sargassum response committee this week.

Mercado said in an interview that the city cannot clear all 21 public beach access points at the same time, so crews will work in priority sectors. The beaches near the tourist corridor of Fifth Avenue top that list.

She said the city will also continue its trial-and-error testing of collection methods and keep operating its final disposal site.

Fonatur picks Playa del Carmen as testing ground

Speaking after raising the Blue Flag during a ceremony to recertify eight beaches with the designation, Mercado said the National Fund for Tourism Development (Fonatur) chose Playa del Carmen as the destination where new technologies to fight sargassum will be tested.

The goal is to find better logistics methods so the seaweed can be handled more quickly, she said.

The working groups will include authorities alongside specialists, suppliers whose methods have already produced good results, and scientists, the mayor said.

The committee plans to meet weekly to hear from all participants and report results, Mercado added.