Cancun could become the first “free of plastic” Mexican city

In three years, Cancun could be one of the first cities in Mexico that becomes free of plastic, including items such as straws, bags and more ambitiously, Pet (plastic bottles). “This will be possible as soon the project Yaakun Cha ‘ starts, which consists of raising society awareness, as well as the implementation and regulation of the use of these materials”, said Sergio Haro Salinas, director of Generation in Solid Waste Integral Solutions(Solución Integral de Residuos Sólidos: Siresol), concessionaire of garbage collection in Benito Juárez municipality.

The head of this private company said that four instances will participate in the program, so that all sectors of civil and economic society join in order to free Cancun from the use of plastics.

The project was conceived by the local directorates of Ecology, Tourism, the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat) and Siresol. First of all, the work of creating awareness needs to be carried out among the hotel, restaurant,and commercial sectors, and of course, among society in general.

“We are not talking about the “hotel zone” only, we need the whole city to stop using plastic materials in less thatn a three-year period of time”, Haro Salinas said..

Plastic straws (Photo: SIPSE)

Shortly, after the official presentation of the program, there will be “awareness workshops” in restaurants, hotels, resorts, shops, stores and schools, conducted by municipal authorities.

The next stage is the implementation which will take place under the supervision of the next municipal administration. This phase contemplates incentives to businesses, restaurants and hotels that demonstrate that they have stopped using straws, plastic bags and disposable containers.

For the third year of the campaign, the initiative must be officially legislated and become law, in order to make it mandatory to stop using plastics in tourist and commercial areas of the city. During this phase, sanctions will apply to those who do not comply with the regulations.

“We do not want to make it obligatory from the beginning, we want the service providers, businessmen and hoteliers, as well as the citizens to realize that Cancun can be free of plastic, so first we will start with the awareness generation work, then comes the proof that the goal is possible to achieve, and finally establish laws and sanctions for those who do not comply,” concluded Sergio Haro Salinas, director of Generation in Solid Waste Integral Solutions.

Source: SIPSE