In just three days, crews removed 594 tons of trash in Cabo San Lucas. It underscores the urgency of a growing waste problem as hotels in Los Cabos intensify efforts to reduce landfill use and recycle materials.
Grupo Solmar recently released the results of its sustainability program, which aims to cut the amount of waste reaching landfills and open dumps in Baja California Sur. The initiative centers on separating waste at the source and repurposing materials such as glass, plastic and used cooking oil into new products.
Rapid urban growth and expanding hotel activity in Los Cabos have increased demand for public services, particularly waste management.
Figures released by the company for Earth Day showed that in 2025 the program prevented 103.2 tons of used vegetable oil from entering soil or drainage systems. It also diverted 35.31 tons of plastic, 8.84 tons of cardboard, 2.9 tons of glass and 2.5 tons of aluminum from landfills.
The waste management system operates across the company’s seven resorts, where materials are separated and then sent to authorized suppliers for processing and reuse. Some items, such as plastic and cardboard, are stockpiled until they reach industrial processing volumes, while others are reused locally.
Company officials said the program follows a traceability model, allowing management to track where each item ends up after leaving hotel rooms, restaurants or administrative areas. Staff sort glass, plastic, cardboard and aluminum into designated containers, while organic kitchen waste is stored in cold rooms and collected daily to prevent contamination.
One of the program’s most visible examples is clear glass, which is delivered to a local workshop where artisans use glassblowing techniques to create decorative pieces later returned to the hotels. Used cooking oil follows a different route: it is filtered, stored in 20-liter drums and collected twice a week for conversion into biodiesel.
Mauricio Salicrup, director of operations at Grupo Solmar, said the circular economy model turns waste from an environmental burden into a valuable resource.
The program carries particular importance in Baja California Sur, where fragile ecosystems and limited landfill capacity have heightened concern over long-term waste disposal. The company said it was the only participant to formally complete the 2024 “Increase Impacts, Reduce Waste” project, an initiative led by the Los Cabos Hotel Association and the Municipal Planning Institute, or IMPLAN, to ease pressure on the municipal landfill.
Salicrup said revenue from the sale of recyclable materials is not placed into general accounts but reinvested directly into tools and equipment for the recycling warehouse.
That approach helps ensure workers have the resources needed to sustain operations. In a region that depends heavily on natural beauty to attract tourism, business-led waste reduction efforts are increasingly seen as essential to preventing growth from overwhelming local infrastructure.
