Costa Rica

Prevention and reduction of plastic waste generation

Charge for single-use plastic products (e.g. shopping bags, straws)

Names of actions:
Action Plan of the National Marine Residues Plan and parallel projects that are part of the National Plan

Targeted products:
Th ones indicated in the “comments” area

Brief description:
The action plan is at the beginning of its execution and parallel projects that are responding to concerns contemplated in the diagnosis of the National Plan.

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Comments:
The implementation of actions contemplated in the national marine residues plan is just beginning. Other initiatives parallel to the plan (on marine residues management and fishermen), are developed in two fishing sectors of the Central Pacific (Puntarenas, Tarcoles and Puerto Níspero) and north Pacific (Guanacaste) (it is in the diagnostic phase). In the Caribbean, a marine waste management process is being developed in three communities (Tortuguero, Cieneguita and Puerto Viejo).
At the moment the diagnostic findings and the exchanges of knowledge with the population have given a tangible product such as the Methodological Guide for the Recovery of Waste at Beach. A first product related to the sea was produced at the end of 2021, called Inventory of marine residues from the fishing sector of the Golfo Dulce, Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

Comments:
Within the framework of the implementation of the Single-Use Plastic Strategy, a study of the economic and social feasibility for conventional plastic substitutes has been carried out as well as an inventory of biofibers in Costa Rica as potential raw materials for the production of single-use products. Although there are at least three companies that are producing with these natural biomasses, it can be said that it is in a diagnostic phase and many of the plastic substitutes are imported.

1. Law No. 9786 to combat plastic pollution and protect the environment (November 17, 2019).
2. Law 9703 of July 15, 2019, “Law for the prohibition of expanded polystyrene”.
3. “Law for the Integral Management of Waste” and its regulations, Executive Decree Number 42833.
4. Guideline SINAC-DE-944-2020 that began to take effect from February 25, 2021.
5. Guideline DGABCA-0002-2018, so that the institutions and bodies of the central administration do not include in their purchase processes, single-use plastic.
6. Guideline No.014, published by the Executive Branch in July 2018.

Brief description:

1. Prohibits the marketing and free delivery of plastic bottles, plastic bags and straws.
2. Prohibits the import into the national territory, the commercialization and delivery of containers of expanded polystyrene in any commercial establishment.
3. Establishes the general conditions to regulate residues issues in the country.
4. Prohibits the entry of single-use plastics in national parks and biological reserves.
5. Prohibits the purchase by the government of single-use items (plates, glasses, forks, knives, spoons, straws and disposable removers and others used mainly for the consumption of food).
6. This executive guideline is aimed at public sector institutions for the regulation of the use and consumption of single-use plastic and the design of labeling in plastic substitute products.

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Comments:
The country has a residues policy, national residues plan and a comprehensive residues management law that establishes general regulations, compliance conditions and responsibilities. Regulations related to single-use plastic and expanded polystyrene are recently being adopted. Regarding microplastics, research has only been carried out on Pacific beaches to verify existing microplastics, types and quantities per square meter of beach.

Environmentally sound waste management

Enforcement of proper waste management system

1. Law on Integral Residues Management
2. National Residues Policy
3. National Plan for Integral Residues Management.
4. National Marine Residues Plan
5. NAMA Residues Costa Rica (nationally appropriate actions).

Brief description:

1. Establishes the main aspects it regulates, the hierarchy of residues management, guiding principles such as Extended Producer Responsibility and responsibilities of generators
2. The general guidelines of residues management in the country.
3. Main actions and responsables for executing the comprehensive residues management plan.
4. Nationally Appropriate Actions for the management of ordinary and organic waste in the country.

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Comments:
Innovative, disruptive and comprehensive legal and management instruments in the integral management of residues.

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Comments:
Several initiatives summarized above are being developed which clarify the state of the situation of the sea and its beaches with respect to waste, knowledge of the type of waste, as well as the sources or activities that contribute to the waste reaching the sea or that clarifies what type of actors that deposit residues in the sea.

Cleanup of marine plastic litter

Collection of scattered waste on beach

Names of actions:
Cleaning sessions

Brief description:
1-Two days of cleaning in sectors of Pacific beach in the last year. 2-Five days of cleaning of beach sector in the community of Cieneguita (Caribbean), in the last year.

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Comments:
The cleaning days/sessions (directed and controlled by the Ministry of Environment, Direction of Environmental Quality Management- MINAE-DIGECA) have taken place within the framework of the actions that are developed both in the Caribbean and in the Costa Rican Pacific. It should be noted that there are also Organizations and Municipalities that coordinate beach cleaning events with the community and the help of volunteers.

Numerical Data:
1-Two days of cleaning where 500 kilos of residues where collected, mostly plastics of all kinds.
2-In the five events developed in the Caribbean, 4.8 tons where collected, with characterization of types of plastic and making use of the Methodological Guide for the Collection of Beach Residues, outlined above.

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Comments:
Cleaning actions in the sea have not yet been developed. There are ideas and projects, with the fishermen who are being trained and sensitized both in the Pacific and in the Caribbean. On the other hand, together with private companies, government institutions and UNDP, biofences are being installed in rivers during this 2022 and 2023.

Promotion of innovative solutions

Policy actions for encouraging plastic alternatives (e.g. biodegradable plastics, circular product design – including use of recycled materials or closed-loop recycling)

Names of actions:
Circular Economy Strategy

Brief description:
The circular economy proposal for the country is being designed.

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Comments:
Currently, an intersectoral commission is designing a proposal for a Circular Economy Strategy for Costa Rica, where the topic of alternative products to traditional plastic, recycling, ecodesign and circular (closed) production processes are included.

Names of actions:
Education and awareness of the private, commercial and productive sector for the reduction of single-use plastic pollution

Brief description:
Coordination with the productive, industrial and commercial sector to raise awareness about the problem and take measures for the reconversion of the sectors in the reduction of the use of single-use plastic.

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Comments:
Since the implementation of the Recycling Strategy and the Single-Use Plastic Strategy, we have been working with the private, productive and commercial sector, as well as with the plastics industry sector. With all the actors, training and awareness processes were initiated to reconvert production, marketing and the plastic industry. There is a great effort to strengthen and accelerate the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility.

• An inventory of biofibers has been carried out in Costa Rica as potential raw materials for the production of single-use products.
• Study of the socio-economic impact of the National Strategy for the substitution of single-use plastics.
• Workshop for the development of new businesses from by-products of pineapple cultivation.
• Inventory of single-use plastics and overall plastics, used in large pelagic fishing activities in Puntarenas (Pacific).
• Circular economy project with plastics recovery in Puntarenas (Pacific), supporting local entrepreneurship of associations and groups organized under the name of Circular Coasts.
• Elimination of plastic bags (free and sold) in the Supermarket Chain Walmart, Palí, Maxi Palí and Mas x Menos that covered 250 establishments as of January 2021. Walmart began the campaign #nobagsplease in January 2019.
• As of December 2021, there is a database of more than 100 alternative products to single-use plastics.
• By 2021 there are 20 new entrepreneurships that contribute to the replacement of single-use plastic with biodegradable alternatives, renewable and compostable alternatives. There is a database with 35 suppliers of alternative products to single-use plastics and accessory products such as equipment for home composting, all of them marketers and importers.
• There are 3 municipalities, San Carlos, Tibás and Osa, that have approved the creation of trade incentives for the replacement of single-use plastics. However, only San Carlos and Tibás have put it into practice via patent regulations. San Carlos approved a 2% incentive in the payment of commercial patents, and Tibás did so through a differentiated fee in waste collection.
• The Plastic Free Zone Volunteer Network is created.
• During 2022, the update of the National Strategy for the Substitution of Single-Use Plastics (2022-2026) and the National Strategy for the Recovery and Separation of Recoverable Residues (ENRSV) commonly called the Recycling Strategy (2022-2026) have been developed.

Education and awareness raising

Prevention of littering, illegal dumping and inadvertent release of waste into the ocean

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Comments:
The plan is led by the Ministry of Public Education (MEP).

National level:

Names of actions:

• Education and awareness campaign on plastic pollution
• Awareness in radio and television media

Brief description:
The Ministry of Public Education designs and implements the plan in schools and community target groups.

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:
Open education in marine residues management

Brief description:
The educational process is diverse and developed by several actors. Specific actions are carried out by Non-Governmental Organizations and other Ministries such as the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Ministry of Health

Local level:

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Comments:
Among the actions that are developed within the framework of the implementation of the National Resides Plan, organizations such as the Foundation Center for Technological Management and Industrial Informatics (CEGESTI) that develops the PROMAR Project for the reduction of Marine Pollution in the Caribbean and Central Pacific; the Central American Association for the Economy, Health and the Environment (ACEPESA), developed the Project called Inventory of marine residues from the fishing sector of the Golfo Dulce, Puntarenas, Costa Rica, have been developing educational activities intersectorally in order to raise awareness about the problem of marine residues to improve the current conditions. Similarly, the MareBlu organization in the central Pacific, has not only intervened for years in beach cleaning campaigns but also in educational processes, with schools and communities. Other regional organizations, such as Mar Viva, have also provided an important effort to intersectoral environmental education. During this year (2022) the Ministry of Health and the Directorate of Environmental Quality Management (DIGECA) on behalf of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, developed in June 2022 the National Marine Residues Plan and the implementation of the Methodological Guide for the collection of waste on the beach, in the Brunca region in the south of the country, with actors linked to the National System of Conservation Areas, Governing Areas of Health, Aqueducts and Sewers, Associations of Communal Aqueducts, private companies, NGOs and the community.

Numerical Data:
In all the open education events which we have executed, around 500 people (leaders) have been trained to start a process of awareness on the issue of marine debris and marine pollution.

Monitoring & Scientific research on marine plastic litter

Actions for encouraging monitoring / scientific research on plastic flows and ocean surface microplastics

Names of actions:
Monitoring and research actions in plans and actions that are developed

Brief description:
In the different initiatives in execution, the monitoring and surveillance axes are visualized, as well as the scientific research work that provides a greater knowledge of the residues, types and origin, as well as the conditions of affectation of marine ecosystems.

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Comments:
Both the Marine Residues Plan and the parallel actions that are implemented in the country have thematic axes related to the monitoring and execution of actions and research on marine residues. Taking into account that the diagnostic phase of the projects is in execution, perhaps in the near future we will be generating data and relevant information on the types of waste, needs, actions for the solution and actors linked and beneficiaries of good sea conditions.