Plastic Reboot

Project Overview

Costa Rica is facing a growing plastic waste crisis, with 161,000 tons generated annually—40,000 tons polluting rivers and beaches, and 28,800 tons burned in the open air. Every day, 110 tons of plastic are left in the environment, threatening ecosystems and communities. Despite progress, waste recovery remains low at just 10%, and plastic recycling accounts for only 17% of that. Meanwhile, 1.7 million plastic bottles are consumed daily, with nearly 90% never being collected, ending up in waterways and oceans. The country’s largest beverage companies—FIFCO, FEMSA, and Dos Pinos—are stepping up, forming strategic alliances to recover and recycle plastic waste, working with municipalities and recycling networks. By leading policy changes and pioneering circular solutions like deposit and return systems, Costa Rica has the potential to transform plastic management, not just locally but across the region. The time for action is now.

The GEF-financed project aims to reduce the amount of plastic placed in the market by the Food and Beverage (F&B) industry and to incentivize the industry to implement circular solutions to plastic packaging.

Project Components

The project is structured in four components and the following main outcomes:

• Develop a public policy framework that incentivizes the private sector to reduce plastic packaging and plastic containers by enhanced product design and promoting the implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR) mechanisms;

• Participating companies will understand business cases developed for implementing EPR mechanisms and non-plastic packaging/containers;

• Implement and evaluate business models that demonstrate the feasibility of non-plastic solutions;

• Influence consumer behavior to promote participation in a circular economy, reduce consumption of plastics, and support EPR mechanisms initiatives.

Global Environmental Benefits

Plastic Reboot’s Costa Rica Project aims to trigger a system change to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy of plastics, with concerted actions by key stakeholders across the plastics life cycle to end plastics pollution. It will provide Global Environment Benefits in terms of 16,805 TCO2e/y reduced, 0.3 gTEQ/y of unintentional persistent organic pollutants (UPOPs) avoided directly, 7,726 metric tons of plastic waste avoided, and benefiting 289,454 (144,727 women and 144,727 men) inhabitants of the country.