Association for the Recycling of Plastic and Palm (ARPP) · Air & Environment

Association for the Recycling of Plastic and Palm (ARPP)

Country: Costa Rica · Matapalo, Puntarenas Category: Air & Environment Impact Areas: Circular Economy Stage: Prototype Team Size: 10 Website: —

Elevator Pitch

ARPP is a non-profit creative waste economy organization developing ongoing and profitable markets for waste plastic and oil palm, fostering micro-businesses, resulting in measurable reductions in waste. Future expansion is planned globally with partners.

Climate Problem

Plastic waste is a global problem. Only 10% of plastic waste globally is recycled, despite hundreds of millions invested into recycling facilities. Oil palm trunk waste is a lesser problem globally, however significant in the countries that grow palms.

Solution

Our decentralized model reduces collection costs by 80%. Machinery is low cost, made from as much recycled materials as possible. Collectors operate their own micro-business, buying the machinery from ARPP, paying for machinery in collected materials.

Revenue Model

ARPP will make products (lumber, furniture and home furnishings) from the collected materials. These products will be sold through building materials suppliers, farmers markets and directly to contractors. The profits will be used to make more machinery.

Target Market

Building Materials Suppliers, Building Contractors, Homeowners

Social Impact

People of African Descent, Indigenous Peoples, People Living in Extreme Poverty, Women

Demand Evidence

I interviewed a variety of different types of potential customers; architects, contractors, building materials suppliers, homeowners. The responses were 100% positive. Some respond to the 'green' aspect, some respond to the durability aspect.

Competitors

There are 3 companies in Costa Rica who make products similar to those we will manufacture. I have visited with 2 of these companies. They all operate on a small scale, serving their local areas.

Founder Expertise

I founded ARPP. 50 years experience in founding and building several small businesses in the USA. I was a broker of recycled telecommunications equipment, built a 2000km fiber optic network and 4 data centers, have a US patent in the consumer media space

External Support

I have spent 1.5 years studying all aspects of plastic and palm waste. I have travelled to several countries to meet with equipment manufacturers and finished goods manufacturers.

Source: ClimateLaunchpad 2026 Application · App ID: 10076 Ingested: 2026-05-25