Riviera Maya, Q.R. — The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) has signed an agreement to eliminate plastic from Mexican beaches. The agreement was signed by Marina Robles García, Undersecretary of Biodiversity and Environmental Restoration and Jorge Terrazas Ornelas, Director General of Ecoce.
The agreement was made within the framework of the National Strategy for the Cleanup and Conservation of Mexico’s Beaches and Coasts 2025-2030 implemented by the government of President Claudia Sheinbaum, Semarnat (Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales) and the Ecoce Civil Association.
The signed collaboration is for the free installation of collection, transfer and registration stations for recyclable inorganic waste recovered and collected during cleanup campaigns on the country’s beaches and coasts.
The agreement seeks to contribute to comprehensive waste management, including the separation, collection and recycling of post-consumer containers and packaging, promoting the circular economy. It establishes the loan of waste sorting bags for use in cleanup campaigns on beaches and coasts across the country.
The collection stations to be installed will allow for the proper separation of waste by type: organic, recyclable inorganic, and non-recyclable inorganic. Ecoce will be responsible for recording the quantity of recyclable waste collected and its equivalent in environmental benefits at each participating site.
During her speech, Undersecretary Robles emphasized that the amount of waste that reaches our country’s beaches and coasts isn’t generated there. it comes from all land-based activities.
“In our country, 80% of the waste that reaches our beaches and oceans comes from what we do on land, from what we do in our homes, or from what we fail to do by neglecting the way we treat and manage this type of waste.
“That’s why it’s a commitment that doesn’t belong solely to the government; it’s a commitment that we need to extend beyond government institutions and become a commitment for society as a whole.”
She shared that “22 years ago, in collaboration with Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum who at the time was Secretary of the Environment for Mexico City, she worked on the beginning of the first waste management schemes in our country.
“Mexico City was the first to develop and publish a law for the comprehensive management of waste, and based on that law, she initiated a talk with the groups that used PET at the time, which gave rise to the organization Ecoce, which became one of the organizations that has shown the greatest commitment in our country to promoting careful waste management and particularly the recycling of materials like PET.”
She emphasized that “a collaboration agreement with Ecoce and other organizations is very important to join this effort we are promoting through the federal government with the goal of developing strategies for proper management of these materials and controlling the contamination problems that are being generated.”
Ecoce’s General Manager Jorge Terrazas stated that “at Ecoce, we responsibly assume our role in this strategy. We will focus on what we do best: ensuring that recyclable waste is actually recycled. From organizing, weighing, classifying, recording and ensuring that these materials reach recycling plants. Our experience in the circular economy will be put to the service of this major national project.
“At Ecoce, we celebrate this intersectoral work model because we understand that major environmental challenges cannot be solved by a single force; they require the active participation of governments, businesses, civil society organizations and, of course, citizens,” he said.
As part of the agreement, Ecoce will cover the costs of transporting recyclable inorganic waste and will ensure its reception at the collection or recycling centers closest to the beach cleanup sites across the country.
Semarnat will ensure that organic and inorganic waste that Ecoce cannot transport is channeled to the appropriate state or municipal authorities or agencies.
It has been documented that between 60% and 90% of the waste found on beaches is plastic and microplastics. It is estimated that 13 million tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean worldwide each year, affecting marine life and human health.
To address this situation, the Mexican government launched the National Strategy for Beach and Coastal Cleanup and Conservation with the goal of eliminating 100% of plastic waste from the country’s beaches and coasts by 2030.
The strategy began on June 5 with a massive cleanup effort in Puerto Progreso, Yucatán, Acapulco, Guerrero, San Felipe, Baja California, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco and Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo.
Various Mexican government agencies are participating, led by Semarnat and the Ministry of the Navy in partnership with state and municipal governments, civil society organizations and businesses. Throughout the six-year term, work will be carried out in all 17 coastal states.
