Mexican navy removes 4.7 tons of waste from beaches in 10 days

Personnel from the Secretaría de Marina-Armada de México (Semar) removed approximately 4.7 tons of solid waste from beaches across five Mexican states in a 10-day cleaning operation.

The naval institution worked alongside local authorities, civil organizations, and volunteers to clear plastics, glass containers, and other materials from coastal areas. The cleanup effort took place in Baja California Sur, Oaxaca, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and Campeche.

In Baja California Sur, naval staff and port workers removed about two tons of trash from playa Selene in Santa Rosalía. In Oaxaca, the Navy collected 112 kilograms of inorganic waste from playa La Ventosa in Salina Cruz. In Tamaulipas, teams recovered 279 kilograms of waste from a 300-meter stretch of playa Dunas in Altamira.

At playa La Pesca in Soto La Marina, naval personnel and students from the Universidad Tecnológica del Mar de Tamaulipas Bicentenario removed 1.5 tons of waste over two kilometers. In Veracruz, workers collected 100 kilograms from Villa del Mar and Playón de Hornos, while naval members and volunteers from the Universidad Veracruzana cleared nearly half a ton from Barra Norte in Tuxpan. In Campeche, 39 people and naval members recovered 160 kilograms of waste from Playa Bonita.

Semar also continues operations to remove sargasso, a type of macroalgae, from the coasts of Quintana Roo. The institution says it has collected 72,815.20 tons of this algae from the waters and beaches of seven municipalities in Quintana Roo as of November 6, 2026. The Navy plans to continue cleaning efforts in Veracruz and prepare brigades for the arrival of sargasso during the December holiday period.