Albany Residents Help Promote Environmental Awareness in Costa Rica

From the Peace Corps Press Office:

Stephen and Melinda Lanning of Albany recently organized a recycling initiative in their Costa Rican community as part of their Peace Corps volunteer work.

The Lannings went door-to-door to 200 households to educate family members on the importance of recycling and how to properly separate their residues into organic waste, recyclable material, and garbage.

After the training initiative, nearly one-third of the households continued to regularly participate in the recycling program. 

The Lannings found that the other two-thirds of households were unable to continue the recycling initiatives because they did not have the receptacles to separate and store their recyclables.

The Lannings decided to raise money for recycling bins through the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP), a program that supports Peace Corps volunteer community projects worldwide.

Once the money was raised, the Lannings worked with community members to make bins out of simple materials, including metal wire, plastic bottles and rope.

More than 20 bins have been created so far, and community members and other Peace Corps volunteers have been trained to create additional bins to ensure project sustainability.

Green spaces have been cleared in the local park, soccer field and eco-lodge to house recycling bins.