Costa Rica generates, on average, 3,855 tons of solid waste every day and it is estimated that each family produces 11 kilograms of waste per week. The vast majority of this waste ends up in a landfill. More than 52% of these correspond to organic waste, which is also an important source of greenhouse gas emissions as they do not receive adequate treatment.
www.composteros.go.cr is the name of the new website that this past week officially was launched by the Municipality of Desamparados to face this challenge and promote home composting. Through the portal, people will be able to learn in an easy and entertaining way how to manage their organic waste from home, and thus contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse gases.
Treating organic waste properly and responsibly
“The main objective is to make people more aware of the damage that we produce to the planet when we do not treat organic waste properly and responsibly. On the web portal you can train for free and share experiences”, said Gilberth Jiménez, mayor of Desamparados. www.composteros.go.cr makes available to citizens detailed information on composting, how to do it, what it consists of, what benefits are obtained, how to make urban gardens, and connection with composting communities.
This is the first composting portal in the country, and also brings together 4 other municipalities: San José, Montes de Oca, Curridabat, and La Unión. The project was developed thanks to the contribution of the Costa Rica-United States Foundation (CRUSA) and the German Cooperation for Development GIZ within the framework of the initiative “Transforma Residuos en Recursos”, supported by the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Protection of the Nature and Nuclear Safety (BMU).
Learning actively about waste management
“Composteros will allow citizens to participate and learn actively about waste management and contribute their bit to reduce the impact it has on the environment and climate. From GIZ we are pleased to have been able to accompany and support this joint initiative that will benefit more than 800,000 inhabitants in the 5 cantons and will encourage the participation of around 4,000 families in the composting process”, stated Claus Kruse, acting director of GIZ Costa Rica.
As for her duty, Evelyn Hernández, Municipal Environmental Sanitation Management Coordinator, said that “reducing organic waste through a project that integrates the family nucleus is extremely important. A correct waste management begins with the information and training of the community, the best waste is the one that is not generated and the one that is not transported”. Enter the new composting site and be part of the generation of composters who say yes to the environment.
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