Protecting our Magnificent Natural Resources

Akumal Norte is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, including Yaklu Lagoon, Half Moon Bay, and, of course, our beloved sea turtles. But all of these gift are threatened by waste generated by our community and the Akumal Pueblo. It is up to each us to be responsible stewards of our environment and preserve it for ourselves and those who come after us.

Vecinos is working to coordinate community action to reduce the impacts of both solid waste and wastewater.

Urban Solid Waste Program
(please click here to learn more)

Our goal is to establish an organized and efficient system to manage waste and minimize the negative impacts on the environment and public health. Some of the main objectives are:

1. Waste reduction: Establish measures to reduce the amount of waste generated in the community, promoting practices such as reuse and recycling.
2. Proper management: Define how waste should be classified, collected, transported, treated, and disposed of to avoid soil, water, and air contamination.
3. Education and awareness: Raise awareness among community members, workers, and visitors about the importance of proper waste management, encouraging responsible habits such as waste separation at the source.
4. Improve quality of life: Proper waste management helps maintain a clean community, prevents the spread of diseases, and improves public health.
5. Compliance with regulations: Help the community comply with local or national environmental laws and regulations, avoiding penalties and promoting sustainability.
6. Encourage the circular economy: Incentivize the reuse and recycling of materials so that waste can become resources, which can also create jobs and economic opportunities within the community.
7. A clean and organized community.
8. Annual street, mangrove, and beach cleaning calendars.
9. Preventing our visitors from bringing or buying polluting items.
10. Stopping the use of plastic-packaged products.

Wastewater Management
(please click here to learn more, including details of the types of systems that are available to individual owners to manage their wastewater)

In 2021, the Governor of Quintana Roo inaugurated the Akumal Wastewater Treatment Plant, a reported investment of $59 million pesos. Unfortunately, funding issues have prevented the Mexican government from following up by installing sewers and related pumping stations in Akumal Pueblo and Akumal (including Akumal Norte) to get the sewage to the treatment facility, so It’s anybody’s guess if and when Akumal will have a functioning sewer system.  

As a result, Vecinos has formed a committee reporting to the Board to determine what we can do to minimize the impact of ground and surface water contamination. Here is the action plan: