Costa Rica is leading the way in banning single-use plastic. Straws, bottles, utensils, cups, and bags will all be banned by the year 2021.<br /><br />Currently, 20% of the country’s solid waste is not recycled, ending up polluting rivers, beaches and forests. Costa Rica has a lot to protect: it contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity, even though it's smaller than the state of West Virginia. <br /><br />Costa Rica is a world leader in wildlife protection and a signatory of the Paris Accord. About 99% of the country’s consumed energy is from renewable resources.<br /> <br />And Costa Rica is not alone in this new law. Kenya and Chile have just passed similar laws forbidding the use of plastic bags.
