The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) registered 65 public and private institutions that declared themselves as single-use plastic free. This was announced by the Technological Institute of Costa Rica, an entity that has joined the national strategy of Single Use Plastic Replacement.
The strategy projects that by 2021, 80% of public institutions, municipalities, and businesses would replaced their packaging or packaging materials with environmentally friendly options. The initiative is led by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE), in conjunction with the UNDP.
According to the UNDP, 23 municipalities and two district councils prohibited their suppliers from buying single-use plastic: La Unión, El Guarco, Cartago, Turrialba, Oreamuno, Jiménez, Paraíso, Alvarado, Goicochea, Garabito, Aserrí, Desamparados, Moravia, Tibás, Alajuela, San Carlos, San Isidro, Santo Domingo, San Pablo, San Rafael, Barva, Flores, and Santa Bárbara, as well as the district councils of Cervantes and Cóbano.
Similarly, the Technological Institute of Costa Rica, the Ministry of Culture and Youth, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the ICE Group also said goodbye to plastics.
Regarding private companies, their interest in helping the environment has been magnificent. Today, more than 30 private companies have already committed to the National Strategy and this amount is growing day by day,”
said Kifah Sasa, UNDP’s Sustainable Development and Resilience Officer – Costa Rica.