As part of the efforts to consolidate Garabito as a “green” canton, without plastics and with zero waste, the Municipality of the area recently opened its first material recovery center, hoping to improve the waste management in all local communities and thus recycle 6% of the waste.
This center will be responsible for receiving the waste from the canton, separating, processing and storing it, recovering a significant percentage, which will no longer go to the landfill, but will be treated in productive houses of some companies willing to use these materials.
Garabito must recover its innovative spirit, since in the past it was a pioneer in the construction of its sanitary landfill and the establishment of bases for recycling. Today it must reorient the management of its waste towards collection and treatment by separating the disposable, recyclable and biodegradable materials,”
said Laura Zumbado, Environmental Manager of the Municipality of Garabito.
Juan Carlos Chavez, president of the Chamber of Tourism and Sustainable Trade of the Central Pacific (Catucoso), said that this new center is a firm step on the road to make Garabito a sustainable canton and to ensure that all communities and neighbors get involved in the process of a comprehensive management of resources, recycling and reducing their environmental footprint.
In addition, the opening of this material recovery center promotes the generation of green jobs, not only for the center’s officials, but also because it will be a microenterprise led by a neighbor of the canton, responsible for marketing the materials that are revalued, generating new sources of employment that diminish the environmental impact of the community.
The first goal of the center is to recycle 6% of the waste generated by the canton , which is equivalent to 81 tons per month. But, we hope to have the support of the entire canton to quickly recover the equivalent of 8 garbage trucks per month, two trucks per day, which would be equivalent to recycling 26% of the waste and this will be only the first step to reach our goals towards integral waste management,”
added Zumbado.
Those who wish to participate in this project can do so every first Thursday and Friday of each month, in the Central Park of Jaco, from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. They can also try the Ecolones system to deliver their waste directly in the center, located at the entrance of Pueblo Nuevo, from Monday to Friday, from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, and on Saturdays from 8:00 am to 11:00 am.
Finally, the Collection Routes are carried out twice a month and to register it is only necessary to have a minimum of 10 houses that contribute their waste in the neighborhood, and complete the form available in the manual.