An alliance between The Clean Wave Foundation and Hotel Cala Luna has facilitated the installation of a beach cleaning station to segregate waste at one of the primary entrances to this tourist center in the community of Tamarindo, within the canton of Santa Cruz.
The placement of this environmental initiative location raises awareness and encourages individuals to conduct their own beach cleanups, while simultaneously providing them with a designated area to appropriately separate waste. The station situated at Playa Langosta represents the equivalent of 220 kilos of marine plastic collected by the Foundation in 2023 during various cleanup events.
Andrés Bermúdez, President of The Clean Wave Foundation, noted that the inaugural beach cleaning station is positioned at Playa Langosta, designed by Architect Josué Gutiérrez Reyes, with sponsorship and maintenance provided by Hotel Cala Luna.
Federico Pilurzu, Manager of Hotel Cala Luna and director of the Tamarindo Chamber of Commerce and Tourism (CCTT), emphasized that the endeavor to maintain Playa Langosta free of plastics is part of the company’s Social Responsibility Program. This program also promotes renewable energy through solar energy production and advocates for healthy lifestyles via chemical-free agricultural production at Finca La Senda in the community of Santa Rosa.
“The beach is our most valuable asset; therefore, we are fully committed to combating any form of pollution, no matter how minimal it may seem. In the Foundation, we have found a strategic ally in championing environmentally friendly causes. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship that profoundly impacts the community,” stated Cala Luna’s Manager and CCTT’s director.
Last year, The Clean Wave Foundation, headquartered in Tamarindo de Santa Cruz, organized over 150 solid waste cleanup events on the beaches of Guanacaste and Puntarenas, engaging approximately 2,300 volunteers.
The Foundation’s beach cleanup initiative commenced in 2017 with the involvement of a group of International Baccalaureate students from Villarreal High School in Santa Cruz. Since 2023, they have managed to remove eight tons of waste from beaches such as Langosta, Penca, Potrero, Flamingo, Hermosa, Las Catalinas, El Coco, Ocotal, Pilas, Caldera, Lagarto, Marbella, Tivives, and Puntarenas, among others.
Looking ahead, the Foundation aims to conduct around 600 beach cleanups with the assistance of approximately 200 organizers from various communities. According to the United Nations (UN), plastic constitutes the largest, most harmful, and most persistent form of marine debris, accounting for at least 85% of all marine debris.
