Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — Playa del Carmen City Council has launched a citizen call to reinforce sargassum collection. Mayor Estefanía Mercado is asking business owners, civil organizations, hotels and residents to help clear the beaches.
She says the city’s “2026 Sargassum Challenge” is a strategy focused on reinforcing beach cleaning efforts in the municipality. The public call was made in anticipation of the increased sargassum arriving this season.
“We need reinforcements,” she mayor said in her request to expand citizen participation in beach maintenance.
During a tour of the beach on 4th North Street, the mayor noted that there than 300 people, including Marina and Zofemat personnel, helping to remove washed up seaweed.
According to data provided by the PDC City Council, so far this season, approximately 14,000 tons of sargassum has already been removed from public beaches in Playa del Carmen.
Municipal authorities estimate that the total volume washing ashore could exceed 35,000 tons during 2026 sargassum season.
As part of the preventative measures, the municipal government reported that more than 2.5 kilometers of sargassum barriers have already been installed and plans are underway to install an additional 2.5 kilometers to try to reduce the impact on the coastal strip.
Zofemat Director Irving Rafael Lili Madrigal explained that the behavior of sargassum varies depending on climatic and maritime conditions, so not all beaches register the same amount washing ashore.
He also said that the Marina plans to gradually incorporate more personnel into cleanup efforts in coming weeks, depending on how much arrives.
The public call came after local tourism service providers such as boaters and divers pointed out that Federal Maritime Land Zone (Zofemat) brigades are not enough and are unable to keep up with the flow coming in.
Heavy flows of sargassum continue to make landfall along the coast in varied amounts, hitting some areas harder than others.
