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Tourist businesses affiliated with the Chamber of Tourism of Osa (CATUOSA) last week signed a pledge to eliminate the use of plastic containers, bags and other plastic disposable items in shops, bars and restaurants in the Osa Peninsula region in southern Costa Rica.
Companies plan to substitute single-use plastics and styrofoam packages like utensils, cups, plates, straws and bags for biodegradable items made from bamboo, cloth, starches, cereals, hemp, and other eco-friendly materials.
“Since our inception we have been committed to the development of a sustainable tourism activity in the region; and to transform this vision into concrete reality, we decided to create awareness among our associates and the Osa community in general about the ecological threat created by single-use plastics,” said president of CATUOSA, Luis Centeno, during the declaration of Osa as a plastic-free area.
With an estimated 800 tons of garbage per day ending up in Costa Rica’s rivers and on its beaches, efforts such as this are much needed.
The move by Costa Rica’s southern Pacific businesses serves as an “example of a sustainable community effort for the world,” said Minister of Environment and Energy Edgar Gutiérrez, who attended the event. The minister said he would present the initiative to the United Nations in order to raise awareness of efforts to eliminate plastics globally.
