Ecolones is the name of the program that pays for recycling: separating waste, cleaning it and taking it to a collection center, no matter the amount.
The program is simple. First, you separate and clean your waster, ie. plastic, glass, tetrapak, aluminum cans, etc. and then take it to the near ‘centro de acopio’ (collection center), where you receive ‘ecolones’ that can be accumulated and used for products and services at participating businesses.
“Surely you already have many ecolones in your home, office, school, or even have seen ecolones lying on the street. Because now valuable waste can be converted into ecolones, which can be exchanged for discounts on products and experiences of responsible companies that are part of the program,” says the Ecolones website, www.ecolonescr.com.
Eecolones is a public-private partnership that benefits and commits consumers and companies to take responsibility for their consumption habits, their value chains, their products and their waste. It also supports the public sector, especially the Costa Rican Ministry of Health, as the rector of waste management, so that we can have a more sustainable country.
The website provides the user a map of the collection centers across the country and the places where the user can exchange their ecolones in promotions by different companies.
Setting up an account is free and easy.
According to the Ministry of Health, each Costa Rican produces 1.1 kilograms of garbage per day. Of this weight, 8% is glass and tetrapak, 15% is paper and cardboard, and 11.5% is plastic. All this waste regularly ends up in a dumpster.
The Ecolones program was developed Proxima, with sponsorship from companies like Fifco, Kimberly-Clark, Tetrapak, Sardimar and LifeMiles.
Ecolones can be exchanged for ice cream by Los Paleteros, cleaning products by Florex, food at the Bambai Mongolian Grill, Cine Magaly and soon at Fischel pharmacies, Musmanni stores and Pozuelo cookies. Click here for full list.
