San Juan Del Sur
Un Pueblo Relimpio
Map of the San Juan Del Sur Municipal Recycling ProgramConfronting one of the largest problems in Nicaragua, the Municipal Recycling Program of San Juan del Sur hopes to find the most sustainable way to manage solid waste in the municipality. This program is carried out under a new model for development, in which the private and the public sector collaborate for the common good. The investment in this project is shared between the hotel Pelican Eyes ... Piedras y Olas, the Mayor’s Office of San Juan del Sur, and the German intergovernmental aid organization, DED. Facilitating this collaboration and administering the program during its pilot phase is a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in San Juan del Sur: Comunidad Connect.
The first year of this program is a pilot project. During this period, Comunidad Connect will be in charge of the administration and development of the recycling program. After one year the control of the program will be passed over to the municipal government. The decisions regarding the Municipal Recycling Program are based on the opinions of the stakeholders. In this way we hope to achieve a higher level of participation and cooperation between everyone who is affected by waste management.
The pilot project is divided into three phases. During the first phase, municipal workers separate the plastic, including bottles and hard plastics, from other types of trash at the municipal dump. This plastic is then sold to be exported and processed. During the second phase, organic materials will be added to the program and processed using worm castings and composting techniques. The third phase has an educational campaign for the population of San Juan del Sur in order to achieve separation of trash at the origin. In addition, during this phase a plant nursery will be constructed and will use the top soil produced from the organic waste materials.
The Municipal Recycling Program is a business venture seeking to collect, separate, package and sell solid waste materials. The benefits of this program include additional jobs and income generated from the sales, as well as the reduced contamination of the environment around San Juan del Sur.