Engineer Hortensia Solís Agüero
Manager of Sustainable I+D Projects
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Telephone: (506) 25412828
Fax: (506) 25412728

CoopeDota R.L is located in Santa Maria de Dota, which doesn’t have an adequate form of sanitary disposal, due to the fact that its design doesn’t have the necessary capacity to dispose of the quantity of sanitary waste produced in the community. This co-op is a business that is concerned about finding new alternatives for the protection of the environment; due to this positive attitude we are aware that our institution and the community of Santa Maria de Dota produces a vast amount of solid and organic waste.

Due to the fact so much waste is produced, the need to create a waste management plan comes into existence, with the purpose of decreasing the amount of waste and at the same time sell materials that provide a form of capital.

After the pilot plan was developed and implemented in the cooperative, many people in the community started recycling and taking their waste to the recycling center. The first recycling center was a small warehouse and due to the increase of waste, the cooperative decided to build a larger structure to have a larger processing plant.

Once the construction was finished, an agreement was signed between the local Municipality, with the objective that they collect all of the recycling waste and the cooperative would be in charge of reclassifying and dispatching. Before they could start the program, though, the whole community of Santa Maria had to receive a lecture in their home given by 24 students from the local high school, as to how they must sort their recycling to be delivered.  

For the collection of materials, it is recommended delivering them in color coded oxy-biodegradable bags:

Paper:                                 Yellow Bag
Containers:                          Blue Bag
Various:                              Gray Bag
Waste for landfill:                 Red Bag

These are the types of materials received at the recycling center:

PAPER:
1. Used and clean (notebooks, lined, white, and colored paper, poster board).
2. Envelopes.
3. Clean cardboard.
4. Newspaper.

5. Magazines.
6. Books.

NOTE: Dirty paper such as gasoline, oil, diesel, or muddy paper, sanitary pads, napkins, toilet paper and diapers are not accepted.

CONTAINERS:

1. Plastic: Soda bottles, yogurt cups, juice boxes, water bottles, gallon bottles of juice, milk and oil, butter tubs, cream cheese boxes.
2. Glass: Liquor, wine and beer bottles, juice and soda bottles, cups, wineglasses, windows.
3. Aluminum: Soda, beer and juice cans.
4. Boxes: milk, juice, whipping cream.
5. Others: Tuna fish, sweet corn, sardine, mushroom, and palmito cans, etc.

NOTA: If the glass is broken, it should be delivered in a marked box. Its very important to rinse all containers; in the case of milk boxes they must be rinsed, drained and flattened.  

VARIOUS:

1. Printer cartridges

2. Plastic bags: rice, beans, sugar, detergent, fabric sostener, bleach, disinfectant, colored and clear bags.

3. Cookie and plastic packaging.

4. Plastic fertilizar bags.

5. Fertilizer sacks.

NOTE: Plastic bags should rinsed, dried and delivered all in one bag. Cement sacks are not accepted.

LANDFILL WASTE:

The various wastes are the materials that should be sent to the landfill and treated by the local municipality due to the fact that they cant be recycled.

1.    Toilet paper, disposable diapers, sanitary pads, dirty cardboard.

2.    Needles, sharp objects.

3.    Metal sponges, napkins, paper towels and disposable gloves.

4.    Candy wrappers, adhesive plastic, aluminum wrap and wax paper.

5.    Plastic medicine bottles, expired medicine.

6.    Batteries

7.    Styrofoam

8.    Disposable plates, spoons, knives, straws, and cups.

NOTE: Do not send organic waste to the landfill. In the case of organic waste, it is recommended to use them in homes, schools and businesses for the production of organic fertilizer. It is recommended to do the following:

Dig a hole in a patio or garden. Add organic waste (fruit and vegetable peels, bones, leftover food) so they will decompose. Every time organic matter is added, cover with dirt so they process will be quicker.

A plastic box may be used to make vermicompost, by adding californian red worms and by feeding them with organic matter.

If there is more space available for organic fertilizer, beds may be created to decompose organic matter, either with worms or only with turning the fertilizer so the matter decomposes.