Cancun, Q.R. — Cancun volunteers have removed nearly five tons of garbage from various bodies of water in the urban areas of the city. In a press release, the Benito Juárez City Council reported that during the Program for Sanitation and Social Integration of Freshwater Wetlands of the City of Cancun, nearly five tons of solid waste was collected.
Lourdes Cardona Muza, who is currently the City of Cancun’s office manager, said the nearly five tons was removed from cenotes during 18 days of cleaning. During the 18 days, 501 volunteers from schools, companies, associations, municipal agencies and neighborhoods managed to remove a total of 4,957.5 kilograms of solid waste from cenotes and wetlands that were being used as clandestine dumps.
The head of the General Directorate of Ecology, Alonso Fernández Lemmen Meyer, stated that some of the agency’s allies include Parley For The Oceans, Centinelas del Agua AC, Amigos de Sian Ka’an AC, Naturalista and the Community of Tianguistas Azules of Cancun, as well as students from Yucatan Scientific Research Center (CICY), Caribbean University, Quintana Roo Polytechnic University and the Cancun Technological Institute.
He pointed out that it is of utmost importance to promote environmental awareness and responsibility for Cancun residents to be responsible for the care of their natural environment, so that as a society, these ecosystems that serve as a refuge for native species of birds, mammals, reptiles and plants are preserved.
He stressed that the Yucatan Peninsula is a privileged region and one of the few to have these types of caves and bodies of water, therefore, keeping them clean and free of garbage also helps take care of the water table.
