If Río Azul Is Closed, Where Will The Garbage Go?
Within a month, the country could face a garbage crisis if the Río Azul dump site closure order is enforced, because the options to replace the site on the east side of San José are not ready.

Río Azul has been the centre of conflict for some time, as residents of the area have been complaining of the foul smell and flies when there were problems with the dump covering up the daily garbage being dumped. The problem was resolved, however, Río Azul has its days numbered.

The Constitutional Court (or Sala IV) ruled that the dump should be closed by November 20, the last day that the Río Azul is to receive its last load of garbage.

The concern of authorities is where to dump the 500 tons of daily garbage that now goes to Río Azul. The other dumps at Cartago, Alajuela and La Carpio (San José) are options, but won't be for long, as they too will soon exhaust their use quickly.

There is talk of opening up new dumpsites, however, this is only in the study stage as engineers look at places like Aserri and Mora.

The other concern is the maintenance of the Río Azul once it is finally closed. Authorities say that the dump will need about 20 years of maintenance to control contamination of the nearby communities.