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Yes they have recycling. It is a very civilized nation {as are its neighbors}. Please keep this in mind: Costa Rica is has a long tradition of ecology. Do not go lecturing them. They know what they are doing. It is not our place to impose our will. In fact their laws are more eco friendly than most.

The best way is to get to know the real people who live there. If you live a regular life. As an example: in an apartment or a house in a city. Just follow the rules other people do. Costa Rica is a welcoming place. If you make a mistake and it is trivial you may not get any response. If you make a bigger mistake a reminder.

One thing that people may not realize before coming here... is that many rural areas, or even under-populated roadways or side streets, do not get full-service Trash Collection.

Here's the case where I live ... not saying it's good or bad, but it's actually very different from what you may read elsewhere...

I live in an agricultural area that is, for lack of better words, Rural;  but by no means remote.   Northern most tip of the Canton of San Ramon.  Thus, we pay property taxes to San Ramon.  The trash collection is generally the largest single 'item' on your property taxes... it is called 'Recoleccion Basura' ... currently for me in a single family dwelling it is around 42,000 Colones per year.

The trash pick-up is 2x per week.. which is far better than my old 'digs' in big city USA where it was once a week and messy.   so that is a good thing.

However... the trash truck only goes on the main paved road or highway... if you live on a short side street off that paved road... you have to walk your trash to the highway and put it in a larger 'collection' bin (not a dumpster, at least hear) either the night before or early in the a.m. of trash day.   A Tico friend lives next to one of those communal 'bins'... it is a constant mess.  Most people don't want to walk their trash at 5:30 a.m., so they do the night before... Dogs and other critters, at night, go to town on that trash it and can be spread for 20 meters in every direction; including diapers and dirty toilet paper.  Lovely.

Luckily, my village has enough inhabitants, and is on a paved road (not a highway) ... so we get Trash Collection.  The truck only goes down the main paved street (dead end) and then turns around and leaves... they may stop on their way 'out' of the village if you were late to get your trash out... I've run out in my 'shorts' to catch them on the return.   There are a few side streets in the village and they have communal bins on themain street.  If you live 'outside' the village and nowhere close to the road; no trash pickup.  Of course... if you don't get the service, you don't pay the tax for it.   

At this time... our trash pick up does not include any sort of Recycling whatsoever.  I've inquired; but always a 'no'.   We are also limited to what we are allowed to put out.  No construction debris... including  sand, rock, tile, concrete, block; etc.  They will take metal and glass...  but it must be in short lengths (metal) and glass should be safely packaged.  There are metal 'scrappers' who come around very regularly, like everywhere else, to 'aggressively' take any/all metal.  They'll even venture onto your property and into your back yard... but that's another thread.

We also are prohibited from putting out too much 'organic' materials... especially coconuts, leaves, wood of any kind, and dead animals.  Either compost it all, burn it, or find a wooded area and 'add' it back to 'nature'.

Composting is easy and everybody does it;  and sad to say... everybody has burn piles because the growing season never ends so there are endless tree limbs, leaves, etc.  I spent half the day yesterday taking down the lower, browning palm and coconut limbs from various trees and plants in my yard.  I chopped them small enough to throw on the leaf pile.  It's windy, hot, sunny and dry now... so I'll have a fire some day soon.  But the ash from that pile is great for my gardening.  so, mixed with compost and other dead things... I'm doing ok.

I have asked about 'regional' or local 'communal' recycling... but told that it never lasts more than a year or so.  Maybe I need to get more involved.

I asked a friend who lives up in the hills about their non-compostable trash... she said they have a spot far from the house and not close to the streams (people here really protect their water) where it goes into a deep hole; to be buried eventually.

I noticed, when excavating my property for various hardscaping projects... that I would find tons of buried 'treasure'.  Obviously, the farmers that lived in my house didn't walk but a few steps to get rid of their old toothbrushes, stockings, shoes, tin cans, etc., etc.,  No human bones though.

I do worry about the hazardous materials... old spray cans, paint, batteries, etc...  But the locals said to put it in the main trash.

I'm hoping and praying that it gets better; but it would be financially impossible for the gov't to reach every single remote nook and cranny of CR to control the refuse.

Just my 2 cents...

BTW...  when I first bought the house; for some reason, a person at the local Municiple office decided to add the tax for 'trash collection' to one of my other two lots (I live on a triple lot)... it was the other lot, besides the one that has my house on it... that faces the road; even though it is empty and currently plays the role of bougainvillea garden.   I didn't notice that it was on the tax receipt because my Spanish was really almost non-existent back then.  When I did, eventually, notice it... I went to the local office to get it removed.  She was probably the worst person I have run into since living here... with the most obvious 'dislike' for foreigners.  She told me to send photos... which I did.  She then said she would have to visit... but never did... so I visited her.  She said it would be 'impossible' for her to schedule a visit (which I was supposed to be present for???) to see the property because of her 'fear' of not being able to honor the appointment.   ????????????   

Needless to say.. I did some asking around.  I asked the former owners (who I see once and then) if they were paying for trash pickup for 2 lots instead of just the one with the house.  They said 90% certain 'no'... but he had the old property tax receipts back home in Heredia... and he emailed me a few days later to say that trash was only taxed on one lot. 

Another person that I spoke with actually had the same issue... and she went to high school with the woman at the

Municipalidad. ???    At this point, I had been overtaxed around 125,000 colones... around $200 at the time... because the dollar actually had some value back then.    My neighbor told me to go to the main office in SR.

So I hopped on a bus, went to the main office in San Ramon; and presented it to a gentleman in the tax collection office.  It's an efficient place and you don't need an appointment... right on the central park.   He kindly walked me 'upstairs' to talk to somebody higher up.  Of course the 2nd guy had lived in New Jersey and spoke excellent English and we chatted about Philly Cheesesteaks a bit.  He opened up my file and saw when the tax was added... surprise!!!  it was 'added' the same day as the 1st time I went to the local office  to pay the taxes for the first time.  The local office only has one employee...  guess who??   I asked him why the woman would have just added the trash tax without having any kind of concrete knowledge of my property...  He shrugged. 

And wouldn't you know it... (now comes the real Gringo part...) she walked in!!!!    Of course, idiot me stood up and pointed at her saying,  "That's her!!!"    He motioned me to sit.  She passed us by and gave a nod to him.... probably shocked to see me there; I'm sure she most likely experienced some serious anal retention at that moment.

I asked him to ask her, since she was there, as to why? she added taxes to my property without any just cause... He said no.  He said he didn't want a confrontation in from of me, or in front of the other employees.   I took that to mean...  "Gringo, we're somewhat non-confrontational here in CR.  Let it go."   After all... he did live in Jersey.   

So I did.  I've been here long enough to fully appreciate that.  It takes way less energy to just be nice.  baby steps... baby steps...

Anyway... he credited back to my account all of the extra that I had paid; and I didn't have to pay a red cent in property taxes the following year... but I made sure that I went to San Ramon to pay my property taxes after that.   It's a big busy town and my favorite bakery for goodies is in front of the hospital... it's called Panaderia Trinidad.... they have these amazing tiny pies with woven pie-crust tops.  The peach one is killer.  I usually buy one of every flavor they have.   so so good...

As far as I know... 'she' still runs the local office.

The funny thing is... I'm 100% certain that my experience with something like that, back in Philadelphia, would have been much worse... I would have hit 'walls' at every turn.    At least I got pie here.

Anyway... look at your property tax receipts and make sure you aren't pay for something that isn't even there.

Pura Vida