Zach Hull

May 15, 2014

Research: student recycling perspectives and solid

waste
Abstract: In Costa Rica there is a lack of knowledge in the
general public about recycling and environmentally friendly habits. It
seems that most people know to turn off there lights and take short
showers but when ask to put recyclables in a recycling bin, or use a
reusable water bottle there is often the look of confusion. These
actions seem to unknown and uninteresting because of 1. Lack of
education
2. These actions do not save them money leaving little incentive
to adopt this knowledge. It is clear form the research that there is a
lack of infrastructure and knowledge in the fields. The current
population needs to be informed on 1. How to use current recycling
infrastructure and other environmentally friendly practices

2. How

their actions affect the environment 3. Link these actions to economic

growth and individual savings for more personal incentives.

Introduction: Municipal solid waste is, non water-soluble waste

commonly known as trash or garbage. Solid waste comes from three
main sources, public, agricultural and industrial. Costa Rica is a

beautiful country with its rain forests, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and
cloud forest. Costa Ricas biodiversity includes over 500,000 species,
representing nearly 5% of the total species worldwide, within a country
that covers only 0.03% of the worlds surface (National Biodiversity
Institute, 2010). Costa Rica is well known around the world for its
Biodiversity, eco-conscious citizens and national parks, which have
been around 1.9 billion dollar, a year industry that has grew 6.6% per
year between the years 2002 to 2006 (Eugenio 2013). For Costa Rica to
protect its biodiversity it must reduce the 250 tons of waste that is
illegally dumped in rivers and streets (Frankie, 2004). Over sixty
percent of the 2,400 tons of waste produced daily is put into open
dumps while fifteen percent is put into sanitary landfills (Frankie,
2004).
Costa Ricas is experiencing fast economic growth and
urbanization increase, which is leading to an increase in waste and the
need for proper waste management systems to be developed. How to
manage and mitigate solid waste is a problem all over the world. Waste
a country produces and uses are correlated with the countries
education and infrastructure. This research will work to shed some light
on the current mindset, education and infrastructure that Costa Rican
currently has.

Materials/Methods: I will be drawing data from online sources

about the solid waste, recycling and education in Costa Rica. Using
online sources I will compare the data with the surveys handed out to
students in the town of San Ramon Costa Rica. The survey will include
students from the age of 10-17, from private and public schools. There
where 472 surveys in total and its 25 question were separated into 4
sections, Education, recycling, infrastructure, and environmental
involvement.. The results will then be compared with a similar survey
given in the northwest United States by a college for correlation. When
data has been examined the results will then be compared with
previous solid waste and infrastructure data related to Costa Rica.

Data:
Costa Rica Recycles 7% of their total Solid waste. Today Costa
Rica recycles; Aluminum 75%, paper and cardboard 39%, plastic 15%,
metal 35%, Glass 44% (Haddej). Aluminum is the material recycled
over 50% of the time.

Figure 1 When asked what material they recycle.

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%

Survey

Recycling rates for costa Rica

30%
20%
10%
0%
Paper

Pastic

Metal

Aluminum

Glass

From figure 1 we can see that paper is the most commonly recycled
among students with almost 3 out of 4 recycling their paper. I do not
believe kids recycle metal very often and this was a very high number
among the younger age group of 10-13 year olds. I believe that the
kids were confused and thought that metal was aluminum things like
pop cans.. The amount of kids think that aluminum things were metal
shows the lack of education.
This shows the amount of kids who said they recycle these
products. The red shows the total percentage of each material
recycled. These numbers can be a bit confusing side by side but show
a good correlation between materials.
I forgot to add glass. I do know that Costa Rica is one of the last
in recycling class because the nearest recycling plant is in Guatemala

Costa Rica Recycles 7% of their total Solid waste. Today Costa

Rica recycles; Aluminum 75%, paper and cardboard 39%, plastic 15%,
metal 35%, Glass 44% (Haddej). Aluminum is the material recycled
over 50% of the time.
Figure 2

Trash Compostion
Organic
Paper

1% 7%

Plastic

2%
11%
21%

Aluminum
58%

Glass
Other

ThehighoutputamountofOrganicwasteisfromAgriculturalIndustrieswho
dumbtheirwasteintoopendumps.Figure one shows that 58% percent of the
material thrown away is organic. This can be used as compost and a
natural fertilizer. This Organic material is put into open dumps or
landfill where it will produce methane gas contributing to global
warming. One pound of methane traps 25 times more heat in the
atmosphere than a pound of carbon dioxide. Estimates are that
landfills account for 25 percent of all methane released (Haddej). In

2012 Costa Rica produces about 1.08 million tCO2eq from methane
released by organic compounds (Eugenio).
The reason for the 7% recycle rate has to do with the lack of
Infrastructure. In my survey I asks questions about the recycling
program in Costa Rica.
Figure 3: is there a recycling program that picks up recyclables

Recycling program that picks up reclables

yes
41%

no

59%

Figure 3 shows us that only 41 percent people have an option of a

home pick up recycling program.

Figure 4: question- how often do they pick up recyclables

Frequency
once per week
19%
48%

13%

once per 2
weeks
once a month
dont know

20%

Figure4tellsusthatofthe48%ofthe59percentofpeoplewhobelievethereisa
recyclingprogramdonotknowthescheduleofthepickups.Thisshowsamajorlackof
knowledgeandunderstandingoftheirrecyclingprograms. From looking at the
number of the amount of kids that heard about recycling one would
come to the conclusion that education about recycling in San Ramon is
goo but when asked further questions we can see that there is a major
lack of understanding of existing infrastructure. 77% of people do not
know where the recycling center is. This should be basic information
learned in school when young.

Figure 5:

Distance fom a recycling center

under 5K
11%
8%
1%
2%

5-20K
20-50K
50K
dont know

78%

Figure 5 shows 77% of people do not know where the recycling center
is. This should be basic information learned in school when young.. The
remaining 23% probably misunderstood the question I thought this was
referring to the public recycling bins in the park.

Figure 6

60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

recycling freqency
Recycling in public
area with recycling
bins

Figure6showsthechangeinhowmuchapersonrecyclesinaplacewherethere
istheinfrastructureisavailable.Almost30%ofkidsrecycleallthetimewhenrecycling
beenareclosecomparedtothe10%whentherearenoneinthearea.Whiletheamount
andqualityofinfrastructureisunclearitisclearthroughthesurveythatthereislackof
knowledgeaboutthecurrentinfrastructure.FromFigure6wecanseethatinfrastructure
leadstoanincreaseinrecyclingrate.Educationiskeyelementinreducingtrash.Ifthe
infrastructureisthereandpeopleareunawareofhowtouseit,thenitbecomesuseless.
Frompersonalobservationoftherecyclingbinsaroundthecommunitythereis
clearinabilitytoknowwhattrashgoesinwhatbin.Allthreebinsplastic,aluminumand
paperalllooklikecommonwastebaskets.OftenIhaveobservedthehomelessandpoor
collectingthealuminumfromthebaskets.Theremustbeanincentiveorethisaction.
WithnorecyclingcenterintheareathebestanswerIcancomeupwithistheyaretaken

tobarsinexchangeformanyandthebarsrecycle.Moreinformationisneededtoknow
theamounttheyarereceiverandhowthismaterialisbeingrecycles.
Iobservedthememptyingtherecyclingbasketsintheparkandallthreerecycling
binswereputintotrashbagshowingaclearlythattherecyclablematerialsweregoingto
bediscardedandnottakentoarecyclingfacility.

Figure 7: Question- did you learn about recycling in school?

14%
learned about
recycling in school
did not
86%

Figure 8: Question- What age did you first hear about recycling?

18%
under 10 years
10-20 years
82%

From Figure 7 we can see that most kids are learning about
recycling in school. The exact knowledge they are receiving is unclear
and needs further knowledge and research. It would be good ideas to
have to separate surveys one for the teacher and one for the students
asking different educational information. From Figure 8 we can see that
over 80% of kids have heard about recycling before the age of ten,
which is a good sign but again to what degree are they learning. Many
of them do not know about their towns current infrastructure

Figure 9

Climate Change

7%

Learned about
Climate change
Did not learn about
climate change

93%

Figure 9 shows that most people have learned about climate change.
More questions are needed to know to what extent the problem is
understood. A good question to answer

Figure 10

Climate Change

Before 10 years old

29%

10-20 years old

71%

Figure 10 shows that kids are not usually introduced to climate change
until they are older.

Figure 11 : Question, What is most important?

21%

Reduce

54%

Reuse

Recycle
25%

Figure 9 shows the misunderstanding of the problem. Reduce and

reuse is arguably the most important of the three because they reduce
the need for recycling. Figure 9 shows that lack in understanding of the

current problem. In Costa Rica, the average person discards 1.6

pounds of waste per day and in total 1,300,000 tons of solid waste per
year is discarded in Costa Rica and hauled to land fills (Eugenio 2013).
This data needs to be compared to other countries to have grasp on
what these number mean in correlation to the rest of the world.

Figure 12: Question: How often do you use a recyclable water bottle?

use of reusable water bottle

all the time

10%

most of the time

38%

23%

sometimes
never

29%

Figure 10 shows that 38% percent of children use recyclable water

bottles all the time and 29% use them sometimes for a total of 67%.
33% said they only them sometimes or never. Using recyclable water
bottles is a must. It is any easy change and requires a person to save
money and help reduce trash. In the states drinking fountains are in
schools. I do not know if there are drinking fountains or refillable water
stations at the school here. It would be a good question to ask, in order
to find out why kids are not always using recyclable water bottles. I do

know the water in Costa Rica is drinkable especially in San Ramon

where the survey took place.
Figure 13

time spent ourdoors per week

Under 5 hours

21%

28%

5-10 hours
10-15 hours
over 20 hours

15%
36%

1in3kidsspendunder5hoursaweekoutdoors.35kidsspendunder10hours
aweek.Doesthetimespentoutdoorscorrelatewithconservativebebehavior?Withmore
thanhalfthekidsspendinglessthan10hoursweekoutdoors,itishardtobelievethat
muchcareoreffortwillbeputintopreservingit.Crossanalysisisneededwithrecycling
habitstodetermineifthereisacorrelation.Ididnothaveenoughtimetoseeifthis
correlationexists.
Frommypersonalobservationstherewaslittleinfrastructureforkidstoenjoy
recesslikewedointhestates.Ifakidwasaloud1houroffreetimeperdayona5day
schoolweeknokidshouldhaveansweredunder5hoursaweek.

Conclusion: Costa Rican 2,390,195 urban populations, is

expected to rise to 3,973,000 by 2025, leading to a 50% increase in
waste generated, to 7,151t/d (Eugenio) Costa Rica only Recycles 7% of
their total Solid waste. This problem I believe is directed at the lack of
infrastructure and also a lack of knowledge of the existing
infrastructure Kids are being introduced to basic concepts at a very
young age, which is a good sign for the future. The depth in which they
understand concepts is unknown and many examples shows there is a
lack of understanding. There is a series lack of infrastructure in san
Ramon and in Costa Rica in general and knowledge about it is very
hard to obtain.

Discussion:

Whiletheamountandqualityofinfrastructureisunclearitisclearthroughthe
surveythatthereislackofknowledgeaboutthecurrentinfrastructure.Educationiskeya
elementinreducingtrash.Iftheinfrastructureisthereandpeopleareunawareofhowto
useit,thenitbecomesuseless.
250tonsofwasteisdumpedperday,illegallyintoriversandstreets(Haddej).
Also inCostaRica60%ofthe2,400tonsproduceddailyisputinopendumpsnot
landfills.Opendumpshavenolinersandthetoxinsfromthewasteareabletoleachinto
theenviro
Mygoalwastoseehoweducationeffectenvironmentallysafebehavior.Awider
agerangeisneedtounderstandhoweducationeffectsthesebehaviors.
Alotarelearningaboutrecyclingbutmorespecificquestionsareneeded
toknowaboutdepthoftheirknowledge.Moreresearchisneedtoseeiftheeisa

correlationbetweenwhensomeoneisfirstintroducedtotheconceptofrecyclingand
howitaffectbehavior.
Doesthetimespentoutdoorscorrelatewithbehavior?Withmorethanhalf
thekidsspendinglessthan10hoursweekoutdoors,itishardtobelievethatmuchcareor
effortwillbeputintopreservingit.Crossanalysisisneededwithrecyclinghabitsto
determineifthereisacorrelation.Ididnothaveenoughtimetoseeifthiscorrelation
exists.
Frommypersonalobservationstherewaslittleinfrastructureforkidstoenjoy
recesslikewedointhestates.Ifakidwasaloud1houroffreetimeperdayona5day
schoolweeknokidshouldhaveansweredunder5hoursaweek.

Survey data: girls vs boys

Recycling: males said they recycle more

o Males: 56% recycle all or most of the time
o Girls: 44% recycle all or most of the time
Recycling in public area: they were almost identical
o Males: 60% recycle all or most
o Females 58% recycle all or most
Reusable water bottle
o Males: 67% use a water bottle most or all the time
o Females: 78 use a water bottle most or all the time
Time spent outdoors:
o Males: 24% spend more than 20 hours a week. 66% under
10 hours
o Females: only 11% spend 20 hours a week. 78% under 10
hours

Much of the data was to close in numbers to make a clear distinction. A

bigger survey is needed to compare men vs women

Errors

Questions need to be more specific.

Answer should not be yes or no.
Question asking about climate change should say do you believe

if climate change is caused by man

Need a wider age group range to figure out , if when people are
introduced to environmental problems correlates with

environmental behavior
Last questions should have caged level of interest.
When asking if there are containers for recycling I should have
asked what type of recycling containers are available to them

Work Cited
Androvetto, Eugenio. " Ordinary Solid Waste NAMA." . N.p..
Web. 31 Oct 2013. <http://ccap.org/assets/Costa
Rica_Waste_May_2013_NAMA_Executive_Summary.pdf>.
Haddej, Dhia Ben. "Managing Costa Ricas Waste."
Recommendations for a Municipal Solid Waste Management Plan.
N.p., 13 12 2010. Web. 31 Oct 2013. <http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/Eproject/Available/E-project-121310161912/unrestricted/GTZ_final_report.pdf>.
"Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock." United Nations
Environment Programme. Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
Web. 31 Oct 2013.
<http://www.unep.org/gpwm/InformationPlatform/CountryNeedsA
ssessmentAnalysis/CostaRica/tabid/106562/Default.asp&xgt;
National Biodiversity Institute, 2010. INbio Costa Rica.
<https://www.inbio.ac.cr/en/12-inbio/conservacion.html>