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The crisis

Costa Rica is running out of places to put its trash.

This isn’t a future problem. It’s happening now: landfills closing, trucks driving hundreds of kilometers and fees going up. Here’s what you need to know.

How much trash

Four million kilos. Every day.

Costa Rica produces about 4,000 tonnes of trash a day. That’s like filling about 400 garbage trucks, every day of the year.1

And it keeps growing: more people, more consumption, more packaging.

Where it goes

Almost all of it gets buried.

Eight out of ten tonnes end up in a landfill. Less than 10% is recycled or recovered.23

  • Buried in landfills
  • Recycled or recovered
  • Elsewhere (dumps, burning, empty lots and rivers)

Approximate shares based on OECD (2025) and the Ministry of Health.

What has happened

The Central Valley’s landfills hit their limit.

  1. December 2023

    The Los Pinos landfill in Cartago closes at the end of its useful life. 4

    Five Cartago municipalities have to haul their trash to El Huazo — for some, a trip of about 60 km.

  2. October 2024

    The Ministry of Health warns that Central Valley landfills are on the verge of collapse. 5

    La Carpio and El Huazo together were taking about 3,000 tonnes a day.

  3. Underway

    The La Carpio landfill enters technical closure. 6

    It takes less and less trash as it prepares to close for good.

  4. December 2025

    In Santa Ana, the cost per tonne jumps from ₡15,000 to ₡43,500. 7

    The collection fee rises 45%. In Desamparados, 19%.

  5. January 2026

    The Health Minister raises the alarm over El Huazo’s remaining life. 9

    It’s the landfill that serves more than 35 municipalities.

  6. Today

    Some Central Valley trash travels more than 300 km to Limón. 11

    More trucks, more fuel and more upset communities.

What it costs us

Burying trash is expensive. And we all pay.

On your bill

When the landfill is farther away or charges more, the municipality raises the collection fee.7

In the rivers

Buried trash releases leachate: a polluting liquid that must be contained forever to keep it out of the water.

In the climate

Waste produces almost 15% of the country’s greenhouse gases, mostly methane from landfills.12

In the land

Every landfill takes up hectares that stay unusable for decades. And no neighborhood wants a new one.

The way out

It’s not about burying more. It’s about burying less.

Costa Rica’s Law 8839 already says it: burying is the last resort. First comes reducing, recycling and recovering — including energy recovery.13

Orchidean One is the missing piece: it turns into electricity what can’t be recycled and today ends up underground.

See the solution In 1 minute
  1. Avoid
  2. Reduce
  3. Reuse
  4. Recover · this is Orchidean One
  5. Treat
  6. Landfill (last resort)

Was this useful? Pass it on.

One informed person is worth a thousand rumors. Send this link to your family, your neighborhood group or your local council.

Sources

  1. Teletica (2026). “Entre camiones, olores y basura: la otra cara del manejo de residuos en Costa Rica”.
  2. Delfino (marzo 2025). “OCDE: Costa Rica depende en exceso de los rellenos sanitarios”.
  3. Teletica (2025). “Salud busca elevar el reciclaje en Costa Rica: solo 4% de residuos se reutiliza”.
  4. Semanario Universidad. “Relleno sanitario de El Huazo recibe más basura de la GAM tras cierre de Los Pinos”.
  5. Delfino (octubre 2024). “Ministerio de Salud reporta rellenos sanitarios de la GAM al borde del colapso”.
  6. Semanario Universidad. “Ministerio de Salud: relleno sanitario de La Carpio ya entró en cierre técnico”.
  7. Delfino (enero 2026). “Municipalidad de Santa Ana aumenta tarifa de recolección de basura en un 45%”.
  8. Semanario Universidad. “Municipalidad de Desamparados aumenta en 19% tarifa de recolección de basura”.
  9. Semanario Universidad (2026). “Ministra advierte sobre vida útil de relleno de El Huazo”.
  10. Semanario Universidad. “Vida útil de relleno de El Huazo se reduce por cierre de Los Pinos y cierre técnico de La Carpio”.
  11. La Nación. Ministra de Salud: parte de la basura de la GAM viaja más de 300 km hasta Limón.
  12. PNUD Costa Rica. Inventario Nacional de Gases de Efecto Invernadero (2017, publicado 2022): residuos = 14,8% de las emisiones.
  13. Ley 8839, Ley para la Gestión Integral de Residuos (2010), artículo 4: jerarquía de gestión.