Recycling in the South Caribbean

June 26, 2008 | Tags: Environment | Comments Off

Aluminum cans crushed and baled for recycling
Aluminum cans are ReciCaribe’s #1 revenue source. Please don’t throw them out!

Did you know that ReciCaribe is a model recycling association for all of Latin America, even the world? We’ll soon have more options in recyclable materials in our little corner of the world than in New York City! Currently we recycle most plastics (#1, #2, #5), all kinds of glass (minus light bulbs,) and aluminum!

Did you know that ReciCaribe is a non-profit association that owes it success to the support of individuals and businesses in Puerto Viejo, Manzanillo, Cahuita, BriBri and other surrounding communities? Their financial and material support keeps the operation running. “Reci” currently employees six employees, all Costa Rican. Everyone else that works with Reci is an unpaid volunteer working to make Talamanca a healthier place.

Right now ReciCaribe is working with a grant* to expand the recycling center located in Patiño-between Hone Creek and BriBri. They’ll get a larger work space, a materials compactor, a glass breaker, and a washing station. This new equipment will allow them to increase greatly the amount of materials processed, to recycle All types of plastics, and soon to run a test project for recycling cardboard!

Don’t start sending in the new materials yet, they’ll let you know when they’re going to want to start collecting everything recyclable, to let nothing recyclable go to the open air dump in Olivia.

*The grant is solely for the purposes of this expansion, there’s not a dime for purchasing gasoline or paying salaries, so your generous support is still GREATLY appreciated.

They are working on a lot of other projects too – you can read the rest of this article updating you on the happenings of ReciCaribe on the GreenCoast News.

Yes, our tours page is now available in Spanish! It joins the map page and the transport page as fully bilingual pages. So we’re well on our way to providing a fully bilingual site! Thanks to the great translation services provided by Agustin at Hotel Banana Azul.

Ver la pagina de tours y actividades en español | See the tours and activities page in Spanish

Now you can read about all the tours and activities we recommend in either English or Spanish — and you can book them right online too!

Cahuita Policemen Arrested
Two police officers are arrested. Photo by Mario Rojas courtesy of La Nacion

Two policement in Cahuita, with the last names Cortés and Angulo, have been arrested on suspicion of their involvement in the murder of two men and the attempted murder of two others.   Two other policemen are being sought for questioning in the same case.

This follows the deaths of 23-year-old Roy Gerardo Sotera Prenderas and 16-year-old Natanael Obregón Rodríguez, and the injury of two other men who apparently escaped death only by pretending to be dead.  The two injured men, brothers Alexánder Dixon Obregón, 22, and Ricardo Armando Dixon Obregón, 25, are in hospital under police guard.

The policemen themselves are not directly accused of the murders but investigators from the justice division (OIJ) are speculating that the police caught the 4 men and then turned them over to gang members who went on to torture the 4 men and kill 2 in what was apparently drug-trafficking related gang violence.

The murdered men were discovered still wearing police-issue handcuffs. Their bodies showed signs of torture.

Investigators discovered a bag with $80,000 in cash burried in the yard of one of the accused officers, leading investigators to believe that the killings had some relationship with the drug trade.  

More:
La Nacion: Policías en Limón fueron reclutados por banda de narcos
A.M. Costa Rica: Police officers are suspects in twin Cahuita murder

June 1, 2008
2:00 pmto4:00 pm

The anti-marina movement has prepared a petition with the help of a lawyer for which they are urgently seeking signatures this weekend in order to present it to the national government on Monday. 

The movement, which is now known as the “Comité Unidos por Talamanca y Caribe Sur” with the goal of continuing to lobby for sustainable development of the area, plans to present the petition as soon as possible as they have found out that the Congress has the issue of the marina law on the agenda for the coming week. Congress is proposing to amend laws in such a way that would allow investors to get a provisional concession from the Municipalicity and Costa Rican Institute of Tourism (ICT) and a go ahead from the environmental ministry prior to the completion of a full environmental review. With this provisional concession, the investors would be able to start the project without waiting for their official concession and the full review of their plans.

The proposals before congress is intended to “speed up investments” in Costa Rica.

Puerto Viejo area legal residents, i.e. those holding a cédula de residencia or Costa Rican cédula, are invited to sign the petition.

Update: The committee will have people going around collecting signatures this weekend. The letter can also be signed at Lourdes’s little clothes shop next door to ATEC. The next meeting of the committee is on Sunday, 1st of June at 2 PM at the Centro Pro Niño behind the PV school.