Previous blogs have presented ways to reduce the amount of waste in the landfill by composting organic matter and described how and what to recycle in transparent bags for collection every Wednesday morning.

This month’s topic is Reuse. Did you know that enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the earth four times? *Nosara Recicla has some ideas for how to get more out of plastic and other objects you would otherwise put in the trash or recycle bin.

First, don’t use single-use plastic such as bags, bottles, and straws. Half of the plastic we use, we use just once and throw away. And over the last ten years we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century.

• Instead of accepting plastic bags from local merchants, buy reusable fabric bags made by a union of seamstresses in San José. You can buy them at Super Nosara, Mini Super Delicias del Mundo, and Love Nosara.



• Instead of buying – and quickly discarding – bottled water, buy reusable containers made of durable plastic or stainless steel. Save money, too, because the average disposable bottle contains 4 cents worth of water. Most restaurants will happily supply you with tap water.
• Instead of plastic straws, buy one made of bamboo or stainless steel and carry it with you when a craving for pipa overtakes you.

Second, refuse food packaged in polystyrene, better known as Styrofoam. It can’t be recycled, and it takes between 50 and 100 years to decompose. When you get food to go, or take leftovers home from a restaurant, ask for biodegradable containers, instead of Styrofoam. Many local restaurants have already moved beyond Styrofoam. Make sure the ones you visit know you want Nosara to be Styrofoam-free.

Third, keep your cooking oil out of your compost pile. Did you know that one liter of used cooking oil can pollute 1,000 liters of water? Instead of disposing of it, follow Nosara Recicla’s suggestion and collect that oil in a sealed container. Then call Milton at 8694-0234, who will pick it up and use it to produce biodiesel, which keeps it out of our water supply.

Finally, Nosara Recicla is looking for volunteers. Contact the group at nosararecicla@gmail.com
Help promote sustainable practices through campaigns during the coming low season so that by the next high season we’ll be ready for our extra visitors and the trash they generate while here.

*These and other astonishingly awful figures come from http://ecowatch.com/2014/04/07/22-facts-plastic-pollution-10-things-can-do-about-it/