Abstract

The community of Colorado Norte, located in Pococí, does not have an integral waste management system. This article reports the steps followed to analyze the present situation of the community and proposes a solid waste management strategy that allows to have an improved system. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, the generation and composition of the solid waste were investigated. Interviews to community members were carried out in order to identify the main problems associated with the solid waste system. Four strategic objectives are proposed to improve the situation. They are: waste management at the source of generation, collection and transportation of solid waste, education, training and awareness, and strenghtening legal and administrative processes. It is concluded that the rate of waste generation in the community is 0.51 kg/inhabitant/day, the implementation of the collection service would have a cost of approximately 45,765.85 colones/per quarter/taxpayer (US$70). It is proposed that organic waste be disposed of on the land of the residents, and the rest collected door to door. The implementation of a system in the North Colorado community represents a great challenge due to the difficulties of access the area.

Keywords Solid waste management; recycling; rural management; transportation; final disposal; Colorado Norte