Dive Brief:
- An island in Costa Rica, Isla Chira, has never had trash collection, prompting residents to incinerate or bury waste.
- The locals found a solution to reduce the volume of discarded waste: recycling materials into jewelry and other products.
- The wares will now be sold at a new facility that is still under construction: the Recycle and Community Center on Chira Island (RCCC), a craft collective operated by women who reside in the community.
Dive Insight:
The collective is hoping to raise capital through a variety of sources including private investors, financial institutions, and crowdsourcing. For instance, there's an IndieGogo campaign underway that's meant to fund the project.
A Dutch sustainability firm, A-01, was an investor in the planning stages. RCCC devised the plan for the recycling center and then approached the firm for resources itself—an unusual move, says A-01. The company is assisting the RCCC as they try to turn their plans into reality.