Costa Rica Makes Me Happy (CRMMH) is a nonprofit organization turning plastic waste into community transformation. CRMMH has built a circular model where plastic waste is collected, verified, and repurposed into solutions that benefit both people and the planet.

Their programs unite cleanup efforts, environmental education, and innovative recycling technology to address Costa Rica’s growing plastic pollution problem.

CRMMH then converts plastics collected from residents, beaches, and public spaces into RESIN8 - a construction-grade eco-aggregate used to build durable, affordable housing.

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📍The Location

CRMMH operates across the province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. 

This is a region where coastal tourism, limited waste infrastructure, and a fast-growing population make plastic leakage a significant environmental challenge. 

Working in municipalities such as Santa Cruz and the surrounding inland towns, as well as high-volume coastal areas like Tamarindo, CRMMH targets cleanup zones that generate and recover large amounts of mixed plastics.

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The Problem‍

Costa Rica’s growing plastic pollution crisis threatens beaches, rivers, mangroves, and inland areas. Local waste systems struggle to manage mixed plastics, meaning much of it is burned, buried, or leaks into the environment, harming ecosystems, impacting coastal tourism, and creating long-term health and sanitation risks. 

Despite widespread awareness, many communities lack the tools, infrastructure, and programs needed to properly collect and recycle plastic waste.

At the same time, thousands of families face limited access to safe, affordable housing. 

This creates a cycle where plastic continues to accumulate, people remain vulnerable, and the potential for a circular, community-driven solution goes unrealized.

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The Projects

1. The Bag That Builds

The Bag That Builds is a recycling program that empowers students, families, schools, and local neighborhoods to turn plastic waste into measurable environmental and social impact. 

$1 funds one orange collection bag which translates to 2 kilos of verified plastic waste recovered from homes, coastlines, and public spaces. 

These bags create an accessible system for residents to participate in recycling while learning about circular economy and environmental stewardship.

The Impact

• Impact Unit: 1 Bag = 2 kg verified plastic collected
• Annual Goal: 10,000 metric tons of plastic processed
• Conversion Rate: 1,000 kg plastic = 1 Green Home wall structure
• Participation: 85+ schools and 25,000 students engaged
• Ecosystems Protected: Beaches, rivers, mangroves, inland regions

Verification & Evidence

All plastic collected through The Bag That Builds is fully traceable.

Each bag’s weight, origin, and movement through CRMMH’s processing chain is logged and cross-checked under the Verra Plastic Waste Reduction Standard, which requires photographic, geospatial, and third-party audit data. Partners and donors can access transparent dashboards showing total bags funded, kilos collected, collection zone maps, and real-time field updates.

Verification reports are issued semiannually to ensure accuracy and prevent duplication.

Sustainable Development Goals Supported

🥇 No Poverty
📘 Quality Education
💚 Good Health & Well-Being
💧 Clean Water and Sanitation
⚡ Affordable and Clean Energy
💼 Decent Work and Economic Growth
🏗️ Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
⚖️ Reduced Inequalities
🌆 Sustainable Cities and Communities
♻️ Responsible Consumption and Production
🌍 Climate Action
🌊 Life Below Water
🤝 Partnerships for the Goals‍

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‍Learn more about The Bag That Builds project in your impact portal.
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2. Green Homes

Green Homes is a plastic-to-construction program that transforms recovered plastic waste into durable building materials used to create safe, affordable housing for families in Costa Rica.

Collected plastic is processed into RESIN8, a construction grade eco-aggregate that replaces traditional sand and gravel in concrete.

This circular model connects cleanup, recycling, and construction to deliver measurable environmental and social impact while strengthening local communities.

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The Impact

• Impact Unit: 1,000 kilos of processed plastic becomes the wall structure for one Green Home
• Annual Goal: 10,000 metric tons of plastic converted into construction materials
• Material Output: Mixed plastics transformed into RESIN8 eco-aggregate
• Ecosystems Protected: Beaches, rivers, mangroves, inland regions

Verification & Evidence

Every kilo of plastic processed through the Green Homes Project is tracked, from collection to construction.

Every home built through this process stands as physical proof of impact - a structure born from plastic waste and community resilience.

This project is in the process of being verified through the Verra Plastic Waste Reduction Standard (PWRM0001, Project ID 4965) and undergoes continuous third-party audits to ensure accuracy and transparency.

Impact evidence and certification reports are updated semiannually to validate total volumes collected, processed, and reused in construction.

Sustainable Development Goals Supported

🥇 No Poverty
📘 Quality Education
💚 Good Health and Well Being
💧 Clean Water and Sanitation
⚡ Affordable and Clean Energy
💼 Decent Work and Economic Growth
🏗️ Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
⚖️ Reduced Inequalities
🌆 Sustainable Cities and Communities
♻️ Responsible Consumption and Production
🌍 Climate Action
🌊 Life Below Water
🤝 Partnerships for the Goals

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Learn more about the Green Homes project in your impact portal.

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How You Can Help

With Ecodrive, your business can support verified plastic recovery efforts, recycling, and the creation of safe housing across Costa Rica.

Your support funds the collection of plastic waste, strengthens local circular economy systems, and helps transform recovered materials into durable buildings for families in need.