The Sustainability Paradox

Costa Rica is globally recognized for its leadership in conservation and renewable energy. With over 25% of its land protected and 99% of electricity sourced from renewables, the country proudly wears its green credentials. Yet, this eco-paradise faces a shocking contradiction: some of its Pacific beaches are among the most polluted in Latin America—with plastic bottles and caps littering the sand and sea.

This revelation raises difficult but necessary questions: How can such a green nation be struggling with plastic pollution? Why are these plastics here in the first place? And, most importantly, what can we do about it?

At Green Circle Experience, we believe understanding the origin of the problem is the first step toward protecting the ecosystems we cherish and share with our guests. Let’s dive into the data.

Scientific Findings: A Regional Study Exposes the Plastic Trail

The catalyst behind the recent headlines was a groundbreaking study titled “Tracking the Origins of Plastic Bottles”, conducted by the Científicos de la Basura program at the Universidad Católica del Norte in Chile. Collaborating with academic institutions across Latin America, including Costa Rica’s Universidad Nacional (UNA), the research covered 92 continental beaches, 15 island beaches, and 38 urban areas in 10 Latin American countries, gathering data with the help of more than 1,000 volunteers—including students, professors, and community members.

The findings were startling. Costa Rica ranked among the four most plastic-polluted countries on the Pacific coast, alongside El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Panama. The predominant waste? Plastic bottles and caps—items often linked to beverages and single-use packaging.

According to the study’s lead authors, the most common brands found on Costa Rica’s beaches were not all local. Labels and markings revealed plastic items that originated from China, the United States, and several European countries, strongly suggesting that international marine currents and global shipping routes are responsible for bringing foreign waste to Costa Rican shores.

📚 Source:
Científicos de la Basura. (2025). En busca del origen de las botellas plásticas. Read the study summary (in Spanish)

🌍 News coverage:

• El Mundo CR
• CRHoy
• UNA Comunica

The data doesn’t lie: despite being a sustainability leader, Costa Rica is on the frontlines of an international pollution crisis, one that requires regional cooperation and community-based solutions.

Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast: A Pollution Hotspot

The study placed Costa Rica’s Pacific beaches in an uncomfortable spotlight. From Guanacaste to the southern Nicoya Peninsula and down toward the Osa region, plastic debris was consistently found in large volumes. The issue isn’t merely aesthetic—it’s ecological and economic.

Plastic bottles, lids, and fragmented packaging dominate the waste stream found on the sand and in mangroves. According to UNA Comunica, Costa Rica’s beaches presented some of the highest counts per square meter of plastic waste among the countries surveyed. This places at risk not only marine biodiversity, but also the tourism-based economy that many coastal communities depend on.

At Green Circle Experience, we’ve seen firsthand how these once-pristine beaches—like those near Carara National Park or the Nicoya Peninsula—have suffered increased accumulation of marine debris. What was once a gentle shoreline greeting nesting sea turtles is now, in many cases, cluttered with bottle caps and other non-biodegradable materials.

This is not just an environmental issue. It’s a sustainability emergency that strikes at the very core of Costa Rica’s ecological identity.

The Global Source: When Waste Crosses Oceans

One of the most striking revelations of the plastic audit was the origin of the waste itself.

More than 30% of the plastic bottles found on Costa Rican beaches were foreign, with recognizable branding and language indicators pointing to North America, Asia (primarily China), and Europe. This isn’t about placing blame—it’s about recognizing that plastic waste doesn’t respect borders.

These findings align with the well-documented behavior of ocean currents such as the North Equatorial Countercurrent and the North Pacific Gyre, which can carry debris across thousands of kilometers. Costa Rica’s strategic location in the Pacific makes it particularly vulnerable to ocean-borne waste from countries that may never directly interact with it. A similar 2020 study published in Science Advances mapped out how marine plastics move globally—underscoring that isolated regions like Costa Rica can become final destinations for global trash.

This global plastic tide isn’t always visible to tourists, but it’s painfully obvious to local communities and conservationists. It’s also a direct challenge to our collective environmental responsibility.

To respond effectively, we must go beyond local recycling or beach cleanups. We must rethink production, packaging, and consumption habits worldwide, while also demanding accountability from global corporations and governments.

Environmental and Social Impacts: Beyond the Beach

The plastic crisis washing up on Costa Rica’s shores is far more than an eyesore—it’s a silent disruptor of ecosystems and communities.

Marine wildlife bears the brunt. Sea turtles, often icons of Costa Rica’s biodiversity, can mistake floating plastic for jellyfish and suffer fatal consequences. Birds, dolphins, and fish also ingest or become entangled in plastic debris, leading to injury, starvation, and death. Studies have shown that microplastics are now being found in the digestive systems of animals all along the food chain, raising concerns about their effect on both ecosystems and human health (UNEP, 2021).

But the consequences aren’t just ecological—they’re also social and economic. For communities that rely on tourism, fishing, and coastal farming, pollution threatens both livelihood and identity. When beaches are littered with foreign plastic, tourists turn away, and local pride is wounded. For many, especially those in rural areas, clean beaches represent more than a destination—they’re a way of life, a symbol of connection to the land and sea.

Here at Green Circle Experience, we work closely with local partners and lodges who have voiced frustration and heartbreak over the rising tide of pollution. Their message is clear: We didn’t cause this, but we’re paying for it.

Local Action and Community Resistance: The Response on the Ground

Despite the scale of the problem, Costa Rica’s communities have not remained passive. Across the country, there are examples of extraordinary resilience and creativity in combating the plastic crisis.

Costa Rica has already passed progressive legislation banning several categories of single-use plastics, including plastic straws and bags, in an effort to reduce domestic contribution to the problem. But even more powerful are the grassroots efforts rising from the beaches themselves.

• In towns like Puerto Viejo, Nosara, and Dominical, local groups and businesses organize regular beach clean-ups, educational workshops, and plastic-free campaigns.
• Organizations like 5 Minute Beach Cleanup, Fundación MarViva, and Costa Rica Makes Me Happy have played a central role in mobilizing volunteers, educating youth, and pressuring for stronger policies.
• Universities—including the Universidad Nacional and Universidad de Costa Rica—are conducting long-term monitoring of plastic waste and its effects on marine life.

At Green Circle Experience, we donate 10% of all electric vehicle rental profits to partner foundations, including:

• Costa Rica Makes Me Happy
• Sea Turtle Conservancy
• Selva Bananito
• Casa Luz for young mothers
• Fundación Dynamika

This commitment isn’t just about offsetting impact—it’s about investing in regeneration. We know our guests want more than a trip. They want to travel consciously, leave a positive footprint, and be part of the solution.

What More Can Be Done? A Call for Regional and Global Action

While community efforts in Costa Rica are admirable—and essential—they cannot solve this problem alone. The fact that a significant portion of the plastic pollution on our beaches originates abroad underscores a key point: we are facing a global issue that demands global solutions.

Here’s what must happen next:

• International cooperation: Countries bordering the Pacific Ocean, especially those with major maritime industries, must coordinate waste management strategies and enforce stricter controls on ocean-bound waste.
• Corporate responsibility: Major beverage and packaging companies must be held accountable for the lifecycle of their products. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes can ensure that companies take financial and logistical responsibility for the waste they create, even across borders.
• Sustainable packaging: Innovations in biodegradable packaging, reusable systems, and bulk distribution should be fast-tracked and incentivized. Global brands operating in Costa Rica should set the example.
• Eco-conscious tourism: Travelers play a critical role by choosing low-impact tour operators, minimizing plastic use, and supporting businesses that commit to sustainability. At Green Circle Experience, we are committed to empowering guests to travel consciously, with actions that go beyond offsetting emissions—by directly contributing to local regeneration.

Plastic pollution is one of the defining environmental challenges of our time. But it’s also one where individual and collective action can have an outsized impact. As consumers, tourists, and citizens of a shared planet, we all have a part to play.

Defending the Spirit of Costa Rica’s Coasts

Costa Rica is more than just lush jungles and breathtaking coastlines—it is a country built on the principles of harmony with nature. To see foreign plastic wash up on our shores is to witness a clash between that identity and a deeply unsustainable global system.

But this crisis also presents an opportunity: to lead by example, to forge stronger regional alliances, and to ignite a movement where tourism becomes a force for environmental restoration, not degradation.

At Green Circle Experience, we invite our guests not just to witness the beauty of Costa Rica, but to protect it with us. By choosing sustainable transport, supporting responsible ecolodges, and engaging with conservation initiatives, your journey becomes part of something bigger.

Let’s turn this tide—together.
“The ocean is not just water. It is a mirror of our behavior, our priorities, and our care for the planet.”
— Green Circle Experience