Collaborative Research for Sustainable Sanitation in Costa Rica

Costa Rica faces
pressing wastewater
challenges

70% of residents
rely on septic tanks,

with 66% of the sludge untreated before disposal,

while 86% of sewer-connected wastewater goes untreated. 

This contamination threatens local ecosystems and an economy rooted in ecotourism.

This summer,

students participating in the Sustainable Wastewater Management Program: Combining Social Science and Environmental Engineering in Monteverde, Costa Rica explored innovative sanitation approaches through Interdisciplinary research.

This three-year initiative, based in the ecotourism community of Monteverde, integrates environmental, engineering, and anthropology to develop sustainable, community-based sanitation systems.