Mazatlan’s Playa Pinitos will be free of smoke, plastics, and glass

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If the pilot project works, the model will be replicated in other stretches of the Malecón beach. Hotels also process certification for their beach fronts.

Playa Pinitos is in a process of transformation. From being a saturated and dirty space, it could become the first beach in Mazatlán where smoking is prohibited, use disposable plastics, PET, and glass containers to keep it free of contaminants and improve its image.

To that end, the Beach Operator and Administrator (OAP), in coordination with the area’s merchants, processes the Platinum certification in recreational category for Pinitos before the Mexican Institute of Normalization and Certification AC (IMNC) as part of a pilot project that It is intended to replicate other stretches of the Malecón beach if it gives good results.

This certification was created by the Institute so that the beaches can improve the environmental conditions of their surroundings with the support of private initiative, government, and individuals, which implies keeping them clean and free of polluting residues, in addition to promoting responsible and conscious tourism.

Roberto Terrones Cortés, director of the OAP, reported that as part of the Playa Pinitos certification process, merchants in the area have been involved in the cleanings that are carried out periodically and have been guided to organize a committee and be they who by their own conviction are responsible for keeping the place clean with the advice of that para-municipal body.

Pinitos Beach
Pinitos Beach after the cleaning day held on the morning of Wednesday, November 17, 2021. Photo: Raquel Zapien / Son Playas.

Given that the certification is focused on cleaning, it is planned to restrict the introduction of disposable plastics, PET or glass containers and smoking in the beach area, since these materials constitute the main pollutants of the sand and the sea.

Sellers of coconut, shellfish and other foods may also not use single-use utensils. They should also change chairs and tables for smaller furniture so that they do not obstruct the view and take up more space.

“It must change the image in terms of all kinds of umbrellas and palapas,” he added.

The municipal official said that “a different image should be given to Pinitos beach, where tourism arrives and really enjoys the beach and contemplates the sea, not that they contemplate the umbrellas.”

Roberto Terrones

” The important thing is that disposable products, glass, cigarette butts and PET do not reach the beach “

Roberto Terrones Cortés, Director of the OAP Mazatlán.

About Pinitos Beach

Pinitos is a small beach approximately 160 meters long with a rocky mantle that has been characterized as one of the preferred beaches by the families of the port. It is also frequented by surfers who enter the sea. Among its main problems, the increase in semi-fixed vendors and the taking over of spaces with rental tables and chairs, saturation and generation of garbage stand out. In the place, there is a pluvial drain that in the rainy season generates erosion in a section of the sandy area.

Its name originated at the beginning of the last century, when trees known as sea pines or casuarinas were planted in the ridge and surrounding area as part of a reforestation campaign in Cerro del Vigía and Paseo del Centenario, which can still be seen. If you want to know more about the history enter here.

Photo: Son Playas

What is Platinum certification all about?

Currently, Mazatlán has three certifications from Playa Limpia and processes another three from Playa Platino. Although they are different validation schemes, both are aligned with the Mexican Standard NMX-AA-120-SCFI-2016 that establishes the specifications for sustainability and quality of beaches.

For Platino, there are more flexible rules that allow the fulfillment of indicators grouped into four modalities to be gradually scaled: cleanliness, security, infrastructure, and water quality. Each one of them is evaluated and certified separately, explained Luis Eduardo Alarcón Núñez, manager of evaluation of services of the (IMNC).

When all the indicators are met, the interested parties will be in a position to process the Clean Beach certification, which is more difficult to obtain because it requires the execution of all the measures together, not separately.

Hotels will certify beach fronts

In addition to Pinitos, the beach fronts of the Holiday Inn and Royal Park hotels will also be certified as Playa Platino in the basic cleaning modality for recreational use, reported Alarcón Núñez.

In all cases, service providers in the area must be involved in care and maintenance work to comply with regulations, obtain validation and renew it annually. The Beach Operator and Administrator carries out the procedure before the IMNC in coordination with the individuals and merchants involved.

Pinitos Beach Mazatlan
Pinitos Beach has a rocky mantle. Photo: Raquel Zapien / Son Playas
  • Three beaches in Mazatlán process the Platinum certification: Playa Pinitos and the beach fronts of the Holiday Inn and Royal Park hotels
  • In addition, Mazatlán has three Clean Beach certifications.

Source: sonplayas.com

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