By San José, Costa Rica — Grupo Unicomer’s flagship environmental initiative, Gollo Recicla, has gathered more than 61.6 metric tons (61,665 kilograms) of waste electrical and electronic equipment across Costa Rica during 2026. This comprehensive campaign seeks to divert discarded electronics from municipal landfills, mitigating toxic environmental contamination while reintroducing crucial raw materials back into the productive industrial supply chain.
The specialized processing of these components allows hazardous materials to be managed safely, ensuring that obsolete technology does not pose a long-term threat to local ecosystems or public health. As electronic device consumption continues to accelerate nationwide, dedicated corporate recovery programs serve as a vital mechanism for promoting sustainable waste management.
To better understand the regulatory landscape and corporate compliance requirements surrounding electronic waste management in the country, TicosLand.com spoke with legal expert Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas from the law firm Bufete de Costa Rica.
Costa Rica’s legal framework for integrated waste management places a clear responsibility on producers, importers, and distributors to ensure proper end-of-life handling for electronic goods. As the country advances its decarbonization and sustainability goals, corporate compliance in reverse logistics and e-waste disposal is no longer just an ethical choice—it is a critical legal obligation that carries significant liability for non-compliant businesses.
Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, Attorney at Law, Bufete de Costa Rica
Indeed, as Costa Rica continues to lead by example in environmental stewardship, embedding robust reverse logistics into everyday business operations is essential not only for avoiding legal risk, but for safeguarding the country’s sustainable future. We extend our sincere gratitude to Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas for sharing his valuable legal perspective on this increasingly vital issue.
At Grupo Unicomer we believe our responsibility goes beyond marketing products. We also want to provide solutions so that when these items reach the end of their useful life people have accessible alternatives to dispose of them correctly.
Jossué Zeledón, Social Responsibility Coordinator at Grupo Unicomer-Gollo
The current surge in regional e-waste recovery aligns with broader global environmental priorities. According to data from the Global E-waste Monitor 2024, planet-wide generation of electronic waste is projected to reach approximately 82 million metric tons annually by 2030. This exponential growth presents severe international challenges regarding collection infrastructure, specialized treatment facilities, and resource recovery efficiency.
The latest collection figures build upon more than a decade of sustained ecological commitment by Grupo Unicomer in Central America. From the inception of the Gollo Recicla initiative in 2012 through the close of 2025, the program had already successfully retrieved 2,616 metric tons—representing over 2.6 million kilograms—of discarded electronic devices across Costa Rica.
Throughout 2026, the company has organized community collection drives in diverse geographic regions, including San Vito, San Ramón, Matina, Coronado, Jicaral, and Pérez Zeledón. These localized collection efforts rely on active inter-institutional alliances involving municipal governments, the Ministry of Health, and various civic stakeholders.
In addition to organized community drives, every Gollo retail store nationwide functions as a permanent, free reception point for consumers. Citizens can drop off up to five discarded electronic devices per day, including mobile phones, computers, monitors, power cables, chargers, and small home appliances. To qualify for recycling, equipment must be presented clean, dry, complete, and without evidence of prior disassembly or missing parts.
The recycling process relies on urban mining, facilitating the recovery of valuable materials such as iron, aluminum, copper, and specialized plastics. By reincorporating these secondary raw materials into manufacturing cycles, the initiative reduces the necessity for new resource extraction, lowers overall industrial energy consumption, and strengthens the circular economy across Costa Rica.
For further information, visit unicomer.com
About Grupo Unicomer:
Grupo Unicomer is a major retail conglomerate operating across Latin America and the Caribbean, specializing in consumer electronics, appliances, and financial services, including the widespread Gollo store network in Costa Rica.
For further information, visit ministeriodesalud.go.cr
About Ministry of Health of Costa Rica:
The Ministry of Health of Costa Rica is the national executive authority responsible for directing public health policy, regulatory oversight, and environmental health protections across the country.
For further information, visit bufetedecostarica.com
About Bufete de Costa Rica:
As a premier legal practice, Bufete de Costa Rica has earned widespread respect through its uncompromising ethical standards and relentless pursuit of professional mastery. Drawing upon a rich history of guiding clients across a multitude of industries, the firm continually advances the legal landscape by integrating forward-thinking strategies into its practice. Central to its core ethos is the belief that legal insight should be accessible to all; by actively sharing knowledge and demystifying complex regulations for the public, the firm fulfills a higher purpose of uplifting and empowering an informed populace.
