Open Letter To The Community

Dear Nosara Community:

As you may be aware, the trash collection in Nosara is run by a local family and the recyclables collection has been provided by Nosara Recicla, a non for profit run by volunteer members.

We are reaching out to you today to request a voluntary monthly contribution per home of $10  ($120 per year) to cover for the service of weekly collection of recyclables in Nosara and other projects described below of Nosara Recicla.

According to Costa Rican law, waste management, including collection and final disposal of recyclables and non recyclables is a service that should be provided by the Municipal Government. In the case of the Nosara Community, the Nicoya Municipality has never given the service and that is why, we as a community, have to come together and to organize ourselves.

Nosara Recicla was founded in 2008.  At that time we realized that if we promoted recycling and composting, we could reduce the amount of trash that goes into the Nosara dump by close to 80%.  As neighbors of this community we were, and still remain very concerned about the risks of having a dump in our backyard. Our mission is to educate, promote and advance environmentally and economically sound waste management practices in Nosara and the surrounding communities.

Our projects include:
* The operation of the Nosara Recycling center
* The Recycling Wednesday Collection
*  No Plastic Nosara campaign
* Events with no trash
* Beach and Community Clean-ups
* Workshops and education in local public schools
*Advocacy with the municipality of Nicoya for the proper disposal of trash in Nosara.

All these projects have been sustained with donations and with the selling of recyclables. After 6 years of struggles, we find we need to change our business model.

Recycling is a business that depends on volume. We, as a community, are not producing enough recycling to cover for the costs of the operation of the center.  Additionally we can not cover the costs projects we believe are key to create awareness in our community regarding all aspects of the separation of trash. This is why Costa Rican law mandates municipalities to run recycling centers: because they are simply not profitable.

To be able to continue our work we are asking single family homes a one time yearly fee of $120 ($10/a month)  and for hotels and restaurants a yearly fee of $535 ( $40/a month).

These funds will go directly  toward:

* Maintaining the Coordinator Position of the Center currently held by Cristian Zumbado. Cristian is a true Ambassador for the Recycling Center. His passion for recycling has already resulted in improvements in the daily operation. His has shown such heart and compassion to all who work at the landfill.  Cristian has the education, skills and passion to take Recycling in Nosara to the next level. PLEASE STOP BY AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO CRISTIAN.

* Continue and expand the recycling route on Wednesday.

* Expand our education efforts to more schools and businesses.
It is our sincere hope that you will consider this request seriously and with a sense of community.

At the end of this post you will find the relevant banking information for the Recycle Center. Please include your lot number in the comprbante of payment and forward the comprobante for a receipt to nosararecicla@gmail.com


Respectfully,

Nosara Recicla



BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION:

Banco de Costa Rica
Name: Asociación de Reciclaje de Desechos de Nosara
Account No. 001-0299989-7 DOLLARS
CUENTA CLIENTE: 15201001029998973
ID: 3-002-617388

U.S. Tax Deductible Donations Amigos de Costa Rica amigosofcostarica.org/product/nosara-recycling-association/
**Amigos de Costa Rica was incorporated in 2000 as a 501(c)(3) organization as a supporting organization of the Costa Rica USA Foundation for Cooperation (CRUSA).
Your donations are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowable by U.S. law.