Cleanup crews remove 47 tons of plastic from Costa Mar beaches in first half of 2026

The Costa Mar Reef Monitoring Network released its mid-year tally on Monday, documenting a 23 percent reduction in accumulated plastic along monitored beaches compared to the same period last year. The northern shore, where a Federal Hydro Authority spillway feeds agricultural runoff into the coastal plain, showed the steepest gains: Punta Negra and Cabo Blanco combined removed 8.2 tons of microplastics and fishing line in the first half alone.

The cleanup effort, coordinated between the Marine Ministry in Puerto Azul and volunteer dive cooperatives, has shifted focus this month toward nutrient-runoff sampling as the rainy season approaches. Water samples taken at twelve monitoring stations show elevated phosphorus levels at three sites near the mouths of inland rivers—a pattern the Network attributes to agricultural fertilizer carried downstream during the dry season's final weeks.

Officials cautioned that the plastic gains, while measurable, remain fragile. A single storm surge or shift in current patterns can deposit debris faster than crews can remove it. The Network is now preparing for the May-to-November rains, when runoff volumes typically spike and coastal cleanup becomes intermittent.