Policy framework
National Action Plan
National Marine Residues Plan Costa Rica, 2021-2030
(Plan Nacional de Residuos Marinos)
Translation note: for Costa Rica the use of litter or waste in this document is referred in Spanish as “residuos” and not “desechos” or “basura”. The use of the term residues is preferred in most parts.
Brief description:
The plan is designed under a highly participatory methodology of the various sectors linked to waste management and sea users, establishing a mission and vision, as well as the guiding principles or approaches. It establishes a diagnosis of the state of the situation, its background and the series of methodological steps that guided the design.
It also includes the identification of the source of terrestrial and marine residues, the impact on ecosystems and the proposed monitoring to improve the conditions of rivers, coasts and the sea, on the basis of the most recent regulations that the country has and identifying the gaps that it has in the light of international regulations.
In order to advance faster, the plan establishes the primary action of education, awareness and information to sensitize citizens, as well as research, development and innovation to learn more about marine residues and its management. Undoubtedly, these activities will not be possible without the financing of cooperation mechanisms. Finally, as an implementation engine, an intersectoral governance body is established to execute the actions summarized here.
Legal framework
Name:
Costa Rica has an innovative, proactive and disruptive waste legislation since 2010, called Integral Residues Management Law No.8839. Along with it, there are several executive decrees, which establish the regulations on ordinary residues (Executive Decree No. 36093-S), special waste (Executive Decree No. 38272-S) and hazardous waste (Executive Decree No. 41527-S-MINAE).
Brief description:
Law 8839 does not differentiate on the different types of residues and sources of waste generation, and it does not specify the marine environment. Hence, the need to generate a specific legal instrument related to marine litter arises and the formulation of the National Marine Residues Plan happens.
Indicators
There are indicators for the continental generation of ordinary residues: for example, total generation, per capita, by generating sector, by type of waste, collection coverage, collection coverage of recoverable and non-recoverable cantonal waste, etc. The municipalities oversee these indicators from the local level and the Ministry of Health from the national level, who also consolidates a residues metric. However, in the area of marine residues, further coordination and detail is required in the short term to define specific indicators.
Measures
Measures |
Achievements |
Prevention and reduction of plastic waste generation |
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Charge for single-use plastic products (e.g. shopping bags, straws) |
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Names of actions: Targeted products: Brief description: |
We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years Comments: |
Actions for encouraging sustainable / circular product design | |
We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years
Comments: |
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Regulations on microplastics | |
Names of regulations:
Brief description:
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We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years Comments: |
Measures |
Achievements |
Environmentally sound waste management |
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Enforcement of proper waste management system |
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Names of actions:
Brief description:
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We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years Comments: |
Prevention of littering, illegal dumping and unintentional leakage of waste into the ocean | |
We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years Comments: |
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Others | |
20 INTECO Guidelines have been adopted related to single-use, renewable and compostable plastics (analysis methods related to RCM labelling renewable, compostable and compostable in marine environment) biodegradability of plastics, degradation of polyethylene, ultraviolet exposure of plastics, non-floating plastics in the marine environment, test method to determine aerobic biodegradability of plastics under controlled composting conditions, etc. |
Measures |
Achievements |
Cleanup of marine plastic litter |
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Collection of scattered waste on beach |
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Names of actions: Brief description: |
We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years Comments: Numerical Data: |
Removal of plastic litter from the ocean | |
We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years Comments: |
Measures |
Achievements |
Promotion of innovative solutions |
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Policy actions for encouraging plastic alternatives (e.g. biodegradable plastics, circular product design – including use of recycled materials or closed-loop recycling) |
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Names of actions: Brief description: |
We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years Comments: |
Public-private partnerships for creating and implementing innovative solution | |
Names of actions: Brief description: |
We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years Comments: |
Others | |
In addition, various activities and actions have been developed aimed at the search for the route of substitution of single-use plastics, such as the use of biofibers, ecodesign, circular production processes, among others. These various initiatives are related to:
|
Measures |
Achievements |
Education and awareness raising |
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Prevention of littering, illegal dumping and inadvertent release of waste into the ocean |
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Education plan for waste management. |
We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years Comments: |
Awareness-raising campaigns related to MPL | |
National level: Names of actions:
Brief description: Advertising shorts have been designed to raise awareness of the problem of waste in general and marine residues in particular. In addition, within the framework of the National Recycling Strategy, the campaign “As Easy as” was publicized (As Easy as reducing, recovering, separating and recycling) and within the framework of the Single-Use Plastic Strategy, the educational campaign called “I commit” was publicized (I am committed to reducing, reusing, recovering and recycling). |
National level: We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years The education and awareness-raising plan begins in schools and educational centers in the country and extends to the communities. Television and radio campaigns implemented for periods from 2016 to 2019. |
Local level: Names of actions: Brief description: |
Local level: We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years Comments: Numerical Data: |
Measures |
Achievements |
Monitoring & Scientific research on marine plastic litter |
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Actions for encouraging monitoring / scientific research on plastic flows and ocean surface microplastics |
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Names of actions: Brief description: |
We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years Comments: |
Challenges
- Recycling system improvement
- Proper waste management system (including lack of local capacity)
- Data collection related to marine plastic litter
- Lack of awareness among citizens, business, local governments
- Lack of financial incentives for waste treatment in general
- Lack of financial incentives for technology development
- Project delays due to COVID-19
Best practices
National level
Have designed and in process of execution of the National Marine Residues Plan 2021-2030
Local level
Permanent beach cleaning activities, by NGOs and some municipalities.
Private sector
Some companies are turning the way they produce, closing their production process, being more efficient and researching plastic substitutes, which can be renewable and compostable in marine and controlled environments. The Costa Rican plastic industry is willing to reengineer its production process and contribute to the required changes.
International cooperation
Support by EPA, German cooperation GIZ, UNDP and PROMAR, that have been encouraged to provide collaboration to work on the issue of marine debris, with the aim of knowing more about this ecosystem and its affectations, as well as researching renewable products and natural fibers that contribute to improve these ecosystems and the quality of life of the users of the seas.
Further information
For more information you can visit the websites of:
United Nations Program: https://www.undp.org/es/costa-rica/contactenos
National Strategy for Alternatives to Single-Use Plastic: http://estrategia.zonalibredeplastico.org
Website of the Directorate of Environmental Quality Management of the Ministry of Environment and Energy: http://www.digeca.go.cr
Website of the Ministry of Health: www.misalud.go.cr
Contact details
Shirley Soto Montero, director of the Directorate of Environmental Quality Management (DIGECA) (ssoto@minae.go.cr)
Olman Mora Navarro, Department of Sustainable Production and Consumption, monitoring committee to the Marine Residues Plan, National Recycling Strategy and Single-Use Plastic Strategy (omora@minae.go.cr)