Quintana Roo Intensifies Sargassum Cleanup as 4,500 Tons Collected This Year

Cancún, Quintana Roo — The Quintana Roo government has reinforced its strategy to address an early influx of sargassum in the Mexican Caribbean, announcing that 4,500 tons of the seaweed have been collected so far this year.

Officials from the state’s Ecology and Environment Secretariat (Sema) said they will launch more intensive cleanup operations on beaches starting in March, using land-based equipment. The effort aims to protect environmental health, the tourism economy, and coastal communities.

“In an effort to protect environmental health, the tourism economy, and the well-being of coastal communities, Quintana Roo is reinforcing its strategy with prevention, containment, and sustainable use of sargassum,” the state government said in a press release.

Sema head Óscar Rébora noted that the early arrival of sargassum prompted the upcoming intensified work. The operation will involve government-contracted worker brigades covering the municipalities of Benito Juárez, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos, Tulum, Cozumel, and Isla Mujeres. Tasks include manual and mechanical collection, beach cleaning, and transporting the algae to authorized sites.

Authorities have installed 6,600 meters of anti-sargassum barriers at strategic points like Mahahual, Puerto Morelos, and Playa del Carmen. In the last quarter of 2025, the state acquired an additional 7,500 meters of barriers, now being distributed across six coastal municipalities.

Rébora detailed that, in coordination with the federal government, the state is advancing the Integral Circular Economy Center (CISEC), which has made significant progress in designing comprehensive solutions. The project plans to produce clean energy from sargassum collected offshore, with operations expected to begin in the second half of 2026.

Additionally, officials project declaring a Circular Economy Development Pole for Well-being (PODECIBI) in March. This 38-hectare area in Puerto Morelos, zoned for industrial and commercial use, will serve as a hub where the private sector and academia process sargassum to create new products.