Many times we want to be part of a movement but we don’t know how to join or help. If you are one of those people who want to know how to recycle in Costa Rica but don’t know where to start, this article is for you.

How to Recycle in Costa Rica?

1. Information About your Collection Center

The first step is to locate the Recovery and Assessment Center closest to your home, and if your trucks pass that way. Then you must find out either through a call or the social networks of this Collection Center: what type of materials they receive there. A search tip is that you can also search and inform yourself through the pages of the Municipalities!
If this Center does not receive any type of waste that you produce, you can think of reusing it, or giving it another use. And so follow the cycle of the “3 Rs” as well (Reduce -Reuse – Recycle)!

2. Pick-Up or Drop-Off

As you have already found out where you can take your waste for recycling, then now you continue to organize the collection of these. If your Collection Center has a truck that makes a route then you should find the schedule and the route of this so that you can have your waste ready to recycle that day! If they do not have a route to collect the waste then you can inquire about their hours of operation and bring it to them. It is understood that the latter requires an extra effort, but keep in mind the change that you are making not only for our country but for the world!
A good idea in case you have to take your waste yourself is that you can make a group with your neighbors. And weekly organize a system so everyone takes turns. This way you also have a big impact and change in your community!

3. What waste is produced in my house?

Now, based on the list of waste that this Center receives, you can analyze the garbage and the products that you consume at home. If you know that certain materials will not be recycled there, you can look for alternatives that can be recycled or even biodegradable. This is because remember that the best recyclable waste is the one that is not produced. The less garbage we produce, the better impact we have on the planet.

4. Condition a Space for a Recycle Station

In your home you should find a clean and dry place where you can put the different spaces to separate the waste. People here usually buy pots of different colors, which are sold in various household stores. But you can also have the initiative to Reuse a jar or box that you have at home, and prepare it to serve as a garbage can!

Always keep in mind the type of waste and the container that you are going to assign it, and label it, because if for example: in your house they do not generate much glass, it is not necessary to assign the glass waste a large jar, but you could reuse a cardboard box and line everything up inside it.
Teaching the members of your household this new waste system, and involving them in this whole process is very important, this so that they get excited and it doesn’t take work to get used to the new order.
Remember that organic waste will separate and become compost. It is of great value that you designate a space outside the home so that it can decompose and become organic compost that you could later use in a garden at home!

5. Prepare The Residue

Once you have designated a waste zone to separate, and have started to apply this new system at home, you will need to prepare these either for collection or for delivery. This is why every time you put something in the given pot you must clean / wash it so that it can be recycled. Also, if there is any waste that is made up of several elements, you must separate each element and classify it. For example, a Hi-C box: you must remove the plastic straw and then crush the Tetra-Brik box and put each one in its respective container, after having washed them.

As you can see, the recycling process in Costa Rica is not difficult or long-lived, it just requires a little effort at the beginning, but over time it becomes routine. At NATIVU we believe in community impact and leadership, so we invite you to start recycling at home and encourage your neighbors to join in with these simple 5 steps. As Mahatma Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.“