Our Impact
Planeterra provided a small donation of $500 to kickstart a recycling program at a technical high school in Playa Matapalo, Costa Rica. At this school, in addition to their regular curriculum, students learn methods of sustainable agriculture and rural community tourism management. They have a practice kitchen and restaurant, nature trails, an organic banana plantation, farm animals whose waste they turn into compost and fertilizer for their tree nursery, a cheese-making lab, and the recycling centre.
Planeterra has worked with the school to kick-start its recycling program by helping to acquire protection equipment, so that students can safely separate glass, aluminum and plastic. The recycling program will provide jobs to disabled youth in the community and income for students as they build the recycling business.
More Information
As this is this first environmental education and recycling project in the area, there is a general lack of support for recycling and environmental initiatives within the communities surrounding Playa Matapalo. The project raises awareness about the benefits of proper waste management and is striving to become a model for other schools and educational programs in Costa Rica. The tourism training course is necessary in a region of Costa Rica that is frequently visited by foreigners. Furthermore, the initiative provides an employment opportunity for under-served youth in the community.
