Our Story
We started on the ground—organizing roadside and beach cleanups—then grew into 100+ schools (over 25,000 students) and local business routes. With partners like CRDC Global ,The Clean Wave and Pedregal, recovered plastics can become ECO Blocks that create affordable housing in Country.
Our Mission
Our mission is to address the existential threat posed by non-recyclable plastics by collaborating with private and public entities on circular economy projects that have a truly lasting impact.
Our Vision
We empower Costa Rican communities to recover plastics, strengthen local waste systems, and build eco-friendly housing for families in need—connecting cleanups, schools, and partners in one circular flow.
Our Impact in Numbers
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157,083+ lbs of plastic diverted
Recovered through school drives, community & business routes, and cleanups—kept out of rivers, beaches, and landfills and directed into RESIN8/ECO Blocks.
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1000's of volunteers mobilized
Students, families, teachers, and partners who showed up to sort, collect, and build—turning small actions into big results.
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100+ Green Homes delivered
Eco-friendly homes built with ECO Blocks made from plastic-derived RESIN8; each home incorporates ~1 ton of recovered plastics and provides real stability for a family.
Meet The Board of Happiness
The passionate people behind Costa Rica Makes Me Happy, working together to fight plastic pollution and create positive change.
Royce Mitchell
Architect of Happiness
Royce is the visionary behind Costa Rica Makes Me Happy, leading the movement to turn waste into opportunity. With a background in sustainable business and community development, he focuses on building circular economy systems that unite schools, municipalities, and the private sector for a cleaner Costa Rica.
Debbie Palacios
Chief Happiness Officer
Debbie leads CRMMH’s community engagement and education programs, connecting families, schools, and volunteers through hands-on environmental initiatives. A graduate of EARTH University in Costa Rica, her foundation in agricultural sciences and sustainability is key to shaping CRMMH’s community-driven approach to waste reduction and environmental awareness.
Maria Lurdes Madrigal
Director of Daily Smiles
María Lurdas oversees CRMMH’s daily logistics and partnerships, ensuring each program runs efficiently and aligns with our sustainability goals. A graduate of EARTH University, she brings strong technical expertise in environmental management and a deep commitment to community impact. Her leadership helps turn CRMMH’s mission of transforming waste into opportunity into measurable, lasting results.
Nick Hill
Ambassador of Happiness
Nick is the founder of Planet Water Foundation, a global nonprofit dedicated to delivering clean, safe drinking water to underserved communities. His lifelong commitment to water stewardship aligns closely with CRMMH’s mission to protect Costa Rica’s natural resources. Through his role on the board, Nick helps guide programs that reduce waste contamination and protect local water tables, ensuring cleaner waterways and healthier communities. His expertise bridges global water solutions with CRMMH’s on-the-ground impact.
Eric Entz
Engineer of Happiness
Helps design and optimize systems that transform waste into purpose.
Wilson: The Most Interesting Piña in the World
He doesn’t always recycle…
but when he does, he turns plastic into purpose.
Meet Wilson, the Pineapple Man and beloved symbol of Costa Rica Makes Me Happy (CRMMH).
He’s not just a mascot — he’s the Most Interesting Piña in the World.
While others see waste, Wilson sees opportunity. He travels across Costa Rica collecting discarded plastics — from beaches, schools, and neighborhoods — and helps CRMMH transform them into RESIN8, a groundbreaking material used to build affordable housing, classrooms, and community spaces.
He’s been spotted at landfills convincing trucks to dump responsibly.
He’s inspired thousands of kids to fill orange bags instead of rivers.
And when he smiles, a recycling bin appears somewhere in Guanacaste.
He doesn’t wear a suit.
He wears sustainability.
Because Wilson believes that happiness isn’t something you find — it’s something you build.
One plastic bottle at a time.
He’s not just the face of a movement.
He’s the proof that waste can become hope, and hope can become home.
Construction Waste Management -(CRMMH)
Sustainable, -Zero Waste- job sites for residential and commercial developments. We set up on-site sorting, roll-off service, and traceable recovery that closes the loop through RESIN8 → ECO Blocks.
- On-site sorting: plastics → orange CRMMH bags; rubble → CRMMH container; metals/cables stored safely.
- Scheduled roll-offs: pickups on demand; containers swapped so work never stops.
- Traceability: monthly material reports; recovered plastics transformed into RESIN8 with our industry partners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about CRMM and Waste Management
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RMMH is a full-service waste management company providing collection of ordinary (general) waste as well as 100% of recyclable materials through daily door-to-door collection. Our recycling program includes plastics, aluminum, glass, and cardboard. We also provide education to help communities separate waste properly.
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Households receive two color-coded bags: orange for 100% plastics, and transparent for aluminum, glass, and cardboard. This separation supports recycling efforts while ordinary waste is collected separately to ensure proper disposal.
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Materials are sorted and sent to recycling centers or landfills as appropriate. Plastics are further processed, with non-recyclable plastics turned into RESIN8 eco-blocks through our partnership with Pedregal CRDC.
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Visit makesmehappy.org or email crmmhwm@gmail.com. We welcome partnerships, volunteers, and community support.
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Costa Rica Makes Me Happy is our donation-supported community service arm focused on educational initiatives in 85 schools, educating 25,000 children on proper plastic waste management and circular economy principles. We also provide environmental training through the REAP program and build homes using recycled plastics.
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We provide daily waste collection routes for businesses, promote corporate sustainability certifications, and offer construction and industrial waste management services to ensure plastic-neutral, zero-waste projects.
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Costa Rica Makes Me Happy provides the Green Homes program to communities in partnership with businesses through donations. Each home incorporates approximately one metric ton of recycled plastics via RESIN8, promoting sustainable construction and community support.
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We coordinate on-site waste separation, provide containers for debris and plastics, collect materials regularly, and ensure proper recycling or disposal, including transforming non-recyclable plastics into RESIN8 blocks.
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By enabling proper waste separation and collection, we extend landfill life and reduce environmental impact. Our infrastructure supports communities in adopting sustainable waste management practices.
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CRMMH is the waste management division responsible for all collection and recycling services, branded as CRMMH. Costa Rica Makes Me Happy is the donation-supported community service arm focused on educational programs and school partnerships to foster environmental awareness and social impact.
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Yes, we operate fully within Costa Rica's environmental laws, ensuring safe, transparent, and accountable waste management.