Tulum, Quintana Roo — The municipality of Tulum has removed more than 2,800 metric tons of sargasso from its public beaches so far this year, nearly double the amount collected during the same period in 2025, officials said.
The surge in seaweed arrivals has put pressure on cleanup crews, who are working around the clock to mitigate environmental damage and protect tourism.
Mayor Diego Castañón Trejo supervised cleanup operations at Playa del Pueblo and said the city is coordinating with the Mexican Navy, the state government, and the private sector.
“We are here at Playa del Pueblo with Zofemat personnel tackling this extreme seaweed influx. We will not let our guard down, and we are working in coordination with the Navy, the state government, and hoteliers,” Castañón said.
David Buchanan, director of the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat) in Tulum, described the current season as “completely atypical” for the Quintana Roo coastline.
Key figures from the cleanup effort include:
- Volume removed: More than 2,800 tons collected solely by Zofemat personnel.
- Waste transport: Over 1,000 container trips to transfer centers.
- Tourism partnership: Hotels are coordinating internal crews to clean their beachfronts.
Buchanan stressed that proper disposal sites are critical to prevent leachate from contaminating the aquifer, local vegetation, and coastal wildlife.
The municipal government said cleanup operations will continue uninterrupted during the peak arrival months to safeguard Tulum’s tourism competitiveness.
