San Juan del Sur Recycling Program
The growing population of San Juan del Sur has resulted in an increasingly large production of solid waste. Until recently most of the trash has been taken to a city landfill where it was burned and buried. The burning of plastic materials is obviously hazardous to the environment and to the people that live near the dump.
Comunidad Connect has joined forces with Fundacíon A. Jean Brugger, Pelican Eyes Hotel and Resort, and the Alcaldia of San Juan del Sur to start a recycling program which will include both organic and inorganic materials. The first phase of the project focuses on plastic bottles, which are the most common recyclable inorganic product. The bottles are collected on the trash dump and separated based on color. They are then shipped to material exporters in Managua. Several restaurants in the San Juan area have affirmed their participation in the project and will bring their recyclable waste to the trash dump. Other materials that will be collected are glass and aluminum.
Phase two of this program aims to include more materials including organic waste. Kitchen scraps and other types of organic waste will be transformed into compost. Also, animal waste will be transformed into topsoil using a process known as worm-casting. In the long term the program will work with the population of San Juan to separate materials at home and will expand to include all of the restaurants in town.
Ongoing needs
While the initial investment has been split between the Alcaldia, Comunidad Connect, and Pelican Eyes, phase two of the program needs funding for:
- The construction of worm casting boxes ($200)
- The production of marketing materials for the sale of topsoil from composting ($200)
- The construction of a shaded separation area with the necessary amenities ($ 500)
- Sacks distributed to San Juan residents, used for separation of materials at home ($150)
- Costs associated with the collection and transportation of materials to the recycling facility ($300 per month)
