Tulum, Q.R. — Another mass arrival of sargassum along the coast of Tulum has brigades out in full force. On Tuesday, the municipality reported on the installation of 10 coastal containers to help with the sargassum collection.
According to Tulum City Hall, the collection containers have been placed in strategic areas along the Tulum Hotel Zone for easier disposal.
“To strengthen these efforts, there are currently 10 strategically placed containers distributed along the coastline, allowing for more efficient collection and proper waste management,” Ayuntamiento De Tulum said Tuesday.
Brigades from the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat) start sargazo removal along Tulum beaches at dawn.
David Buchanan, who heads Tulum Zofemat (Zona Federal Marítimo Terrestre), said the state is anticipating a greater arrival of seaweed this year. With that, they have increased the brigade numbers of staff for clearing the beaches.
He also mentioned the installation of the 10 containers along the beach in the Tulum Hotel Zone. The containers have been placed to help over 25 beachfront hotels keep their areas clear of sargassum.
“We currently have 10 containers in the hotel zone that allow us to support more than 25 hotels. They deposit the collected sargassum in these containers, which are then taken to a proper disposal site.
“We want to thank the Mexican Navy and Rear Admiral Topiltzin for their support. He is currently assisting with cleanup efforts in Jaguar Park and, starting Tuesday, will also be working in the hotel zone alongside our personnel,” he said.
Buchanan said at the moment, Zofemat brigades are putting additional effort in the more affected public beaches of Playa del Pueblo, Punta Piedra, Pez and Conchita.
Along with manual removal, sargassum cleaning is being reinforced with machinery and institutional support from the Mexican Navy. Buchanan reported Navy personnel were working in Playas Pescadores and Santa Fe.
According to Buchanan, approximately 613.2 tons of sargassum has been collected along the coasts of Tulum already this year.
State officials have been working to install anti-sargassum barriers ahead of the official season, however, strong Springtime winds have slowed seabed anchoring progress.
