Costa Rica's strive for a circular economy
Costa Rica shows its commitment to sustainable development through solid environmental policies and collaborative and participatory processes with the different actors, becoming a leading country in Latin America in achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda and the adoption of sustainable behaviour. In 2010, the Costa Rica launched the National Policy for Integrated Waste Management 2010-2021. This initial steps towards circularity represented a paradigm shift in waste management in Costa Rica. The policy adopts a preventive and distributive perspective of shared responsibility in waste management among all sectors of society, promoting the adoption of sustainable production and consumption processes as well as the safe and environmentally sound management of waste generated in post-industrial and post-consumer processes.
The same year, 2010, Costa Rica published Law 8839 for Integrated Waste Management, which establishes the competence of the Ministry of Health as the governing body and the responsibilities of municipalities in waste management, and the Regulation of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, which aims to reduce environmental pollution and the negative effects of poorly managed electronic waste on public health. In January 2014, the Regulation for the declaration of Special Handling Waste was published, stipulating that refuse declared as special handling waste by the Ministry of Health, including batteries and lubricating oils, must be separated from the regular waste management circuit to be treated in a differentiated cycle that reduces possible impacts on the environment and potential damage to public health.
In 2016, the National Strategy for Sorting, Recovery and Valorisation of Waste (ENSRVR) was presented. It develops an inclusive model for the integrated management of solid waste in Costa Rica that allows the strengthening of capacities between the public sector, private sector, and civil society. Also published in 2016, the Action Plan for Integrated Waste Management seeks to promote the creation of regional projects to facilitate coordination between different actors for
the integrated management of waste.
Concern over the impact on the environment of single-use plastics in Costa Rica led to the establishment of the National Strategy to replace single-use plastics with renewable and compostable alternatives 2017-2021, presented in 2017 as a collective and voluntary action of the public sector (both the central government and the municipalities), the private sector, and civil society to promote the replacement of single-use plastic with renewable and compostable options. In 2018, Costa Rica launched the National Decarbonisation Plan 2018-2050, which aims to reverse the growth of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as promoting the modernisation and revitalisation of the economy under a vision of green growth, including the circular economy.
In 2020, Costa Rica developed the National Bioeconomy Strategy 2020-2030, with the vision of consolidating a sustainable production of high added value in all its regions and emerging bio-cities, based on the fair and equitable use of its biodiversity, the circular use of biomass and the biotechnological progress of the country as a knowledge society. Costa Rica’s 2020 Nationally Determined Contribution includes measures related to the transition towards a circular economy. The “Step-by-step guide to facilitate the transition to a circular economy from local government”2 was published in 2021, to provide governments and other local actors with practical guidelines on how to materialize the transition to a circular local economy through actions at different levels. At the same time, the guide establishes a direct link with the 2018 National Decarbonization Plan.
In 2023, Costa Rica launched a Circular Economy Strategy, which seeks to link all existing and planned sectoral initiatives, programmes and policies related to circular economy, with the ambition to place the country in a leading position in Latin America as regards the circular economy, innovation and sustainability. The strategy promotes a sustainable economic development model as a driver of inclusive territorial transformation. Based on a circular and resilient productive system, the strategy is supported by a network of expert innovation centres at the intersection of productive chains and circular businesses.
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Drivers for the transition to a circular economy
- International commitments to the Paris Agreement and the Agenda 2030
- Commitment of all parties to build a more sustainable and inclusive Chile
- Strategic public policies and decisions with the Roadmap for a Circular Economy Chile by 2040
- National innovation system for the competitiveness and innovation for circular economy
- Efficiency in the use of natural resources
- Public sector leadership and coordination
- Programmes and instruments for the implementation of the circular economy
Lesson Learnt from the transition process
Stakeholder engagement and participation is key
Stakeholder engagement and participation was key in preparing the roadmap, and it continues to be so in its implementation. The contributions of public, private, academic, and civil society should be sought and incorporated into the process.
Design an inclusive process
The inclusive process involved other Ministries beyond the environment, the private sector, academia, waste pickers’ organisations and thousands of citizens who have contributed ideas to transform the country towards a more productive economy that cares for its ecosystems.
Allow adequate time
The reduced time horizon of two years is very short to be able to develop all the proposals raised in the roadmap and to achieve the proposed objectives. There is a need to establish a time frame that allows for a broad participatory process and the achievement of the objectives. Support
Strengthen regional actors
Strengthening regional actors is essential to ensure a territorial vision, considering the needs and priorities of the different regions. In the process of transition towards a circular economy and the elaboration of the roadmap, a limited participation of the territories was achieved.
Set up proper governance
Proper governance, creating distributed responsibilities and long-term acceptance of the transition towards a circular economy, requires the involvement of all stakeholders. To guide the elaboration of the roadmap, a Strategic Committee was created with public, private, and municipal actors, along with an International Advisory Committee that gave credibility to the entire process. The implementation and monitoring of the roadmap are being promoted by the public sector through CORFO.
Follow-up and monitoring progress is essential
Follow-up and monitoring progress in the implementation of the roadmap is essential in order to know the level of achievement of each of the objectives. Transparent and accurate reporting facilitates an updated understanding of the situation at all times and signals the need to intervene, when necessary, as well as any doubts that might arise about the achievement of any of the commitments and initiatives. Based on the experience acquired with the elaboration and implementation of the Roadmap for a Circular Chile by 2040, awareness, dissemination and education on the culture of environmental care and circular culture, promoting changes in consumption habits and production patterns, is crucial to make citizens aware and sensitive to environmental problems and assume their roles as agents of change for the transition towards the circular economy.