Quintana Roo Revives Single-Use Plastic Ban Law

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Environmental authorities in Quintana Roo have formally resumed the application of the law prohibiting single-use plastics, a regulation that had remained largely inoperative since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The law in question is the Law for the Prevention, Comprehensive Management and Circular Economy of Waste, which bans single-use plastics (bags, straws, polystyrene foam, etc.). It was approved in 2019 and entered into force in phases starting in 2020-2021.

In an interview with the media, the state’s Attorney for Environmental Protection, Alonso Fernández Lemmen Meyer, emphasized that the instruction is to move forward firmly and without setbacks.

Strategy Implemented Starting with Major Waste Generators

The official explained that the implementation strategy is being developed from the general to the specific, starting with large waste generators, such as hotels, commercial chains, and real estate developments, to later extend compliance to small businesses.

The goal is for the shift towards sustainable materials to consolidate gradually but effectively across all economic sectors.

Law Socialized with Business Chambers

As part of this process, the Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection has socialized the scope of the law with various business chambers, including the National Chamber of the Restaurant and Seasoned Food Industry (Canirac), the National Chamber of the Housing Development and Promotion Industry (Canadevi), the National Chamber of the Transformation Industry (Canacintra), and the Employers’ Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex). In these meetings, the legal framework and alternatives for replacing single-use plastics with more sustainable options have been explained.

Fernández Lemmen Meyer specified that informative notices have already been issued to companies regarding the elimination of these materials, clarifying that, for the moment, this is not a revenue-generating or sanctioning strategy, but rather one to facilitate and accelerate the transition. He added that the law does not establish a specific deadline but does set a clear compliance path.

Inspections Advance in Companies

Among the companies that have already been inspected are Walmart, Chedraui, Soriana, Oxxo, Farmacias del Ahorro, and Cinépolis, which—he said—have not shown resistance to the process.

The attorney emphasized that there is no turning back in the application of the regulation and that progress with large corporations will allow the change to be replicated progressively in smaller-scale businesses.