Costa Rica discards 550 tons of plastic every day and as much as 80 percent enters our coastal areas, impacting marine ecosystems and local livelihoods.  Building on existing laws, this project is supporting Costa Rica in putting in place a container deposit scheme for plastics, glass and metal; introducing tax incentives to reduce loss of fishing nets, and strengthening the regulation of cigarette disposal. 

• Container Deposit Laws
  It sees the value of a bill creating a container deposit fund achieved through the implementation of a deposit system where money is fully refundable and returned to the consumer for every returned plastic, glass, and metal bottles.
• Fishnet recovery incentives
  This is a tax incentive given to those who return the fishing net they no longer wish to use. This incentive is granted once the return is registered and paid on the purchase of the new fishing net.
• Cigarette butt regulation
  It involves the modification of Costa Rica’s General Law on Tobacco Control and its Harmful Effects on Health N. 9028 and its regulations by limiting the public spaces where smoking is allowed including laws on the proper disposal of cigarette butts for it not to end up in its seas and rivers.
• Microplastics production and import bans
  It involves a bill banning products containing microplastics, both at the creation stage at the local level, including its export and import. 

Read:

• Diputados presentan proyecto para regular impactos de las redes abandonadas en los océanos
• Proyecto de ley busca minimizar impacto de microplásticos en salud de ticos
• Proyecto busca que vendedores de cigarros realicen gestión ambiental de residuos
• Playa Jacó se convirtió en la primera playa de Costa Rica libre de humo de tabaco
• Fumar en Playa Jacó podría exponerlo a multa de ₡46.200

Implementation status: Completed

• Progress summary as of November 2022 (PDF)
• Watch this short video to know about the Year 2021 status of OneSea's ocean innovation.