Where does our trash go in Manuel Antonio?

Every year thousands of holidaymakers spend their vacation in the Manuel Antonio area, which creates a huge amount of trash. But do they ever wonder what happens to their old plastic bottles, glass and whatever else they throw in the trashcan? We went to the Anita dump, just outside of Quepos, to investigate.

Upon arrival, it was immediately clear that Anita isn´t like a dump you might see in the USA or Europe. People simply drive up to the trash pile and offload their waste, which is then sorted by hand by the staff working there.

It was encouraging to see that, despite the limited resources, a lot of the trash is being recycled. The image below shows the different types of glass, which are first separated and then crushed before being sent away to be recycled.
                      

Plastic bottles are also separated from the main trash pile and then taken away in large canvas bags to be recycled. They first have to be emptied, then crushed to make sure that as many as possible can fit into the bags.

In spite of the efforts being made, there is still room for improvement. We were told that all of the plastic bottles in the below image will be sent to the ocean to be used as buoys. Inevitably, many of them will simply break and float away to join the rest of the huge amount of plastic floating in the Pacific.

In the upcoming weeks Arenas del Mar will be working together with the Anita dump to devise alternative methods of waste disposal - it´s all part of the hotel´s initiative to reduce, reuse and recycle trash.

A boutique hotel near Manuel Antonio National Park, Arenas del Mar is Costa Rica's first resort to be awarded with the “Five Sustainability Leaf Award” and “Five Star Award".

Football games in Costa Rica

Football is everything in this country: men play it, women play it, children play it and pretty much everyone watches it. I recently had the chance to join a group of staff from Arenas del Mar to go and watch my first ever live game of professional football in Costa Rica. It was an important match between two of the top teams in the country: Deportivo Saprissa and Municipal Pérez Zeledón. The first thing that struck me was how early we had to enter the stadium in Pérez Zeledón – approximately two hours before the game started. Apparently it is impossible to reserve a seat and they fill up fast.

An hour before the game and the stadium was already packed

Another interesting difference was that you are not allowed to take any sort of food or beverage container into the stadium. I therefore had to devour my chalupa (a popular take-away food in Costa Rica) and pour my bottle of coca-cola into a plastic bag before entering.

 A new and interesting way to transport your drink of choice!

Difference number 3: Unlike in England –  where they sell meat pies, potato chips and the quintessential cup of English tea in the stadiums – in Costa Rica they sell fresh mango and burritos. Delicious!

As soon as the players ran on to the pitch everyone started throwing toilet paper everywhere. I guess this must be some sort of ritual to welcome the teams…

And then the action started. The level of play wasn’t quite like what I’m used to seeing in the UK, but the passion of the spectators was just the same. This game meant a lot, which was clear to see in the fans’ reactions.

Perhaps the biggest reaction of the crowd, however, was not the result of the players on the pitch, but rather the cheerleaders at half-time and the girls giving away free gifts! The male spectators in the crowd became rather excited at the thought of getting a free gift – or was it because of the person giving away the gifts?

After a close-fought game, Pérez Zeledón managed to hold on to a 1-0 lead and retain their position at the top of the Costa Rican Primera Division. A great end to a great evening, at least for the Pérez fans, which included me J.

A boutique hotel near Manuel Antonio National Park, Arenas del Mar is Costa Rica's first resort to be awarded with the “Five Sustainability Leaf Award” and “Five Star Award".

Football Games with the Arenas del Mar Team

Shortly after arriving at Arenas del Mar, I was asked if I would like to play football with a few of the staff working at the hotel. I hadn´t played for a while, but it sounded like fun and so I accepted. I didn´t realise that "playing football with a few of the staff" actually meant playing a fast-paced 90 minute game against a team of teenagers on a rock-hard and uneven pitch!

The pre-game team talk

After buying some new football boots, which gave me some nice new blisters, I managed to hold out for about 60 minutes of the game. The Costa Ricans play frantic and aggressive football, which suited my English style of play. However, my fitness level just isn´t what it used to be and i´m not used to playing in humid weather, hence my need to take a break before the end of the game!

Geoffrey, the hotel minibus driver and first choice goalkeeper, watching the action in the other team’s penalty box.

The final result was 4-5 to the teenagers. We were winning until shortly before the end of the game and were unlucky to lose.

After the match we headed to a local restaurant to eat a Costa Rican favourite - Chicharrón.

Served with fresh limes and yam, the Chicharrón was absolutely delicious – just what we needed after a hard game of football. It’s no wonder that, 2 minutes after taking the above photo, the entire plate had been devoured!

A beachfront and rainforest resort, Arenas del Mar offers vacations, activities and tours for families and couples alike. 

Beach Cleanup at Arenas del Mar

Once a month a group of staff from Arenas del Mar heads to the beach early in the morning. But their purpose isn’t to take a dip in the ocean or to simply relax and admire the incredible scenery. Instead, their task is to collect as much trash as possible, starting at the south end of Espadilla beach and working their way back towards the hotel. I recently joined one of the groups to help out. It was clear that this ongoing project is important to everyone at the hotel. Staff from almost every department, including the General Manager Fabian Palma, took part. Everyone was given a plastic bag and a rubber glove and we set to work just before 8am.

he south end of Espadilla beach has a lot of nearby bars, take-away restaurants and a supermarket - all of which generate trash. It was surprising and sad to see how much of it ends up on the beach. The main items we found included cigarette ends, drinking straws and plastic bags.

However, by working together we were able to clear the majority of these objects, which made the beach look a lot better. Upon arrival at the hotel everyone was given a light breakfast of pastries and fresh juice - a nice end to a productive morning!

Arenas del Mar is a luxury Beachfront hotel near Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica.

                                                                                                                                                                                     

Collecting trash to prevent Dengue fever

As part of a local campaign to prevent dengue fever in the area, staff from Arenas del Mar took part in a recent two-day clean up of the local village La Inmaculada. The aim was to collect any old washing machines, buckets, sinks and other containers in which rainwater can collect and provide the perfect place for the female Aedes aegypti mosquito, the main type that transmits the Dengue fever virus, to lay her eggs.

Most types of mosquito will lay their eggs in any type of water. However, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes will only lay their eggs in clean water, hence the need to remove any items in populated areas that can collect rainwater.

I took part in the second day of this campaign. We set off early at 7:30am and arrived in the village just before 8am. We were soon met by a large truck that would be taking away all the trash we hoped to collect.

Our first task was to drive around the village, inform people about the campaign and ask them to leave any old containers on the street so that the truck could collect them. I had the chance to practice my Spanish by calling out to people about the campaign - much to the amusement of the rest of the team. It turned out I´d been asking people to leave their bulls (toros) on the street instead of their old pots (tarros). I learn new things every day!

Above photo: Rodbin, the Bellboy Manager at Arenas del Mar, spreading the word about the campaign.

The local residents were very grateful for our help and there were soon piles of old buckets, pots and the occasional washing machine standing in the street waiting to be collected. Within a few hours the back of the lorry was already half full – the campaign was working and everyone was happy.

One local resident asked us to help him clear some old building materials that were in his front yard. Many people in the village don’t have cars, which makes it difficult for them to transport their waste to the local dump. The campaign team were more than happy to help – the only problem was that the road was too steep and narrow for the truck to drive down. We therefore collected the largest pieces using the pickup truck and then carried the smaller pieces individually. It was impressive to see the teamwork of the hotel staff and workers from the local municipality to get the job done efficiently, and very satisfying to see the huge smile on the resident’s face.

After all the hard work we were rewarded with some food and cold drinks – all of which were provided by the hotel.

A boutique hotel near Manuel Antonio National Park, Arenas del Mar is Costa Rica's first resort to be awarded with the “Five Sustainability Leaf Award” and “Five Star Award".

Beach volleyball, socializing and the pura vida feeling

For the next couple of months, we will have an intern learning about sustainability at Arenas del Mar. We will be posting his blogs of what he learns and his experiences at the hotel.

By Chris Milnes

I feel extremely lucky to be here, given that it is the only 5* hotel in Costa Rica to also have been awarded 5 sustainability leaves under the Costa Rican Certificate for Sustainable Tourism programme. The following blog posts will detail my experiences whilst here and the sustainability efforts being made by the hotel.

On the last Sunday in March, the staff at Arenas del Mar were all invited to an afternoon of volleyball on the nearby Espadilla beach. It was a great opportunity for employees from different departments to come together and socialize in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Some of the hotel guests came along to play as well, which made for a really fun afternoon.

Those who didn’t feel like playing could simply come and relax and help themselves to some of the complimentary healthy snacks and drinks provided by the hotel, which included fresh fruit and juices. I was really impressed by the sense of community at the hotel - the staff are like a big happy family. There is a definite emphasis on working hard and exceeding expectations, but at the same time taking time to relax and enjoy the amazing surroundings. I’m really starting to understand and appreciate the “pura vida” or “pure life” approach to living that the Costa Ricans have.

After some really fun games of volleyball, a football (or soccer ball for those of you from the US and Canada) suddenly appeared on the beach. Within no time four sticks had been stuck into the sand to make goals and a game had started. As I took the following photo, I wondered to myself, is this the most beautiful football pitch in the world? I’ll let you decide for yourselves...

Arenas del Mar is a luxury Beachfront hotel near Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica.

New "Pine Tree" in Manuel Antonio

A new sight in Manuel Antonio near Arenas del Mar!  A cell phone tower was recently constructed and disguised as a "pine tree".

A boutique hotel near Manuel Antonio National Park, Arenas del Mar is Costa Rica's first resort to be awarded with the “Five Sustainability Leaf Award” and “Five Star Award".