Posted on June 10, 2025
Puerto Morelos, Q.R. — During World Environment Day, President Claudia Sheinbaum launched the National Beach and Coastal Cleanup Strategy. The strategy addressed 12,000 kilometers of Mexico coast in 17 states.
In those 17 states, 63 beaches participated in the removal of plastics from sand. She said the estimated goal is to remove 3,000 tons of trash each year so that the amount of plastic entering the oceans will be reduced within five years.
“Today marks the beginning of this campaign. It’s not just one day we clean the beaches, it’s a comprehensive strategy implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, along with the mayors who operate in coastal areas, covering nearly 12,000 kilometers of coastline in our country,” she said.
The Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, reported that 15,000 tons of plastics are produced in Mexico, 80 percent of which ends up on coasts and beaches. Therefore, in coordination with the Ministry of the Navy, cleanup efforts are being promoted in 17 states across the country.
Navy Secretary Admiral Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles reported that beach and coastal litter is a problem in many parts of the world. Therefore, through the National Beach and Coastal Cleanup Strategy, 63 beaches were cleaned with the deployment of 2,528 naval personnel and approximately 6,915 volunteers.
The states that participated included Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Veracruz, Frontera, Tabasco, Campeche, Campeche, Progreso, Yucatán, Guaymas, Sonora, San Felipe, Baja California, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, La Paz, Baja California Sur, San Blas, Nayarit, Manzanillo, Colima, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Acapulco, Guerrero, Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, Huatulco, Oaxaca, Puerto Chiapas, Chiapas and Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo.
Puerto Morelos was one of five locations selected to launch the National Strategy for the Cleanup and Conservation of Mexico’s Beaches and Coasts 2025-2030. The goal is to eradicate plastic pollution along the Mexican coastline over the next five years.
According to Mayor Blanca Merari Tziu Muñoz 1,500 volunteers cleaned more than 1,500 meters of beach at Punta Brava, a sea turtle nesting site off the Mesoamerican Reef. Blanca Merari affirmed that Puerto Morelos is deeply committed to this fight against microplastic pollution and emphasized that without citizen awareness, no strategy will be successful.
“This is for our children and for our children’s children,” she emphasized.
The head of Profepa, Mariana Boy Tamborrell, recognized the ecological importance of Punta Brava surrounded by protected natural areas such as the Puerto Morelos Reef National Park and the Mexican Caribbean Biosphere Reserve.
This strategy is part of Mexico’s global commitment to reducing plastic pollution in seas and oceans, which Quintana Roo joined in 2023 through agreements with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
