Green travel guide

Zero-Waste and Refill Shops in Costa Rica: Where to Shop With Less Waste

Costa Rica's low-waste shopping runs on a few reliable pieces: refill chains like EcoRefill for soap and cleaning products, organic grocers like Green Center, weekly ferias where you can bring your own containers, secondhand clothing shops and artisans who sell directly. Since April 2024, Law 9786 has barred shops from handing out free single-use plastic bags and straws, so carrying your own bag, bottle and container is now normal.

By Pura-Verde.com Editors · Published October 30, 2026 · Last checked October 30, 2026

Best for: Residents and longer-stay travelers who want to cut packaging, plus anyone shopping for crafts or clothes
Where: Refill stores in Heredia, Alajuela, Cartago, Liberia and Pérez Zeledón; organic grocers and ferias around San José; craft cooperatives in places like Boruca
Good to know: Law 9786 took effect on April 20, 2024, banning the sale and free handout of single-use plastic straws and most plastic shopping bags
Pack: A cloth bag, a refillable bottle and one or two clean jars or containers
Ask before you buy: What's it made of, who made it, can it be repaired, and does the shop take containers back

The most sustainable shopping trip is sometimes the one you skip. But when you do need soap, groceries, a gift or a shirt, Costa Rica has refill counters, farmers' stalls, secondhand racks and artisans who make things to last. Here's how to find them, and how to tell a low-waste shop from one with a green sticker.

This isn't a list of things to buy because they come in nice paper. It's a practical guide for residents and travelers who want less packaging, more reuse and more money staying with the people who make things. Shops open and close often, so we only list places we could confirm are trading now, and we tell you what to ask before you go.

Costa Rica's plastic law: what changed at the checkout

Costa Rica's Law 9786, the law to fight plastic pollution, was signed in November 2019 but its main bans waited on regulations. They took effect on April 20, 2024, as Estrategia y Negocios explained at the time. In plain terms:

Straws: Shops can't sell or give away single-use plastic straws, with limited health-related exceptions set by the Ministry of Health.
Bags: Supermarkets and shops can't hand out or sell single-use plastic bags to shoppers. The law's text allows reusable bags that meet thickness and recycled-content rules, and certified biodegradable bags. Thin bags for loose meat and produce are treated as outside the ban.
Bottles: Companies selling drinks in single-use plastic bottles must take part in recovery, recycling or similar programs.
Parks: The law also bars single-use plastics in national parks and protected areas.

What it means for you: bring a cloth bag to every shop, expect paper or no straw at cafés, and pack a refillable bottle for park days.

Refill shops you can actually use

EcoRefill is the most widespread refill option we found. Its website lists stores in Heredia, Alajuela, Liberia, Cartago and Pérez Zeledón, plus online orders. It sells its own body, hair and cleaning products, from shampoo and bath gel to degreaser and surface cleaner, and the system is simple: bring a clean container, it's weighed empty, you fill it, it's weighed again and you pay only for the product. That's the model to look for anywhere: weigh, fill, pay by weight.

Green Center calls itself Costa Rica's first organic and sustainable supermarket. It opened in 2012, according to its own history page, which names Ana María Guardia as manager and partner. It stocks organic and eco-minded groceries, cleaning and personal-care products and pesticide-free produce, and takes orders online. It's a good one-stop shop near San José, but "organic supermarket" describes the store's focus, not every item on the shelf. Read labels and look for a certification seal where it matters to you.

Ferias (farmers markets) are often the easiest low-waste shopping of all. Produce comes loose, many vendors sell grains, coffee, honey and cheese in bulk, and regulars bring their own bags, jars and egg cartons. Our farmers markets guide lists the organic and community markets around the Central Valley and the coasts.

At the beach towns, dedicated refill shops come and go. Ask at natural-food stores and health shops whether they refill soap or sell grains by weight, and check their social media for recent posts before you make a special trip.

How to judge a refill or "zero-waste" shop

A good refill shop makes it easy to do the right thing:

Clear rules on which containers it accepts and whether they need to be clean and dry.
Weighing at the counter, so you pay for product, not packaging.
Hygiene and labels: Food bins should be covered and dated, with allergen notes. Soaps and cleaners should list ingredients and safe use.
Take-back: Some shops accept their own bottles back for reuse. Ask.

Red flags: a shop that pushes you to buy a new "eco" jar every visit, products shipped from far away to fill locally, or "natural" and "biodegradable" claims with no ingredient list. A refill only beats a new bottle if the container really gets reused.

Buy from the maker: crafts with a name and a place

Some of Costa Rica's most lasting purchases are handmade, and buying straight from the maker keeps the money and the credit where they belong.

In Boruca, in the southern Pacific mountains, Lourdes Frasser Rojas founded the women's tourism group SóCagrú, as the Tico Times reported in 2008. WIPO's gallery of Indigenous women entrepreneurs lists her as president of SóCagrú, a group of 15 women offering lodging, meals, workshops and tours, making Boruca masks, jícaro gourd crafts and handwoven textiles, and growing ancestral seeds. When you buy a mask from the carver, you learn who made it and what it represents. That's a very different thing from a mass-produced copy in an airport shop.

A few things to keep in mind: buy from artisan-run shops and community reception points, ask before photographing people or homes, and don't assume designs can be copied for commercial use. Our Indigenous-led tourism guide covers visiting Indigenous territories with respect.

On the Gulf of Nicoya, a group of Isla Venado fishers has started turning driftwood and recovered materials into handmade art with support from the MarViva Foundation, a good example of a craft that reuses material and adds income in a fishing community. For more social enterprises, see our community projects guide.

Secondhand and slow fashion

Costa Rica has a long secondhand clothing culture. Shops often called "ropa americana" sell imported used clothing by the piece or by weight in most towns, and they're worth a look before you buy new. Beach towns also have consignment racks and community swap events, usually announced on local social media.

For new clothes, small boutiques in surf towns increasingly sell limited runs from independent designers. That can mean less waste, or just a nicer label. Ask:

What's the fabric, and where was it made?
Who sewed it, and can the shop say anything about working conditions?
How many pieces were made, and what happens to the ones that don't sell?
Can it be repaired, and does the shop offer alterations?

A natural fiber isn't automatically low-impact, and handmade doesn't automatically mean fair pay. A good shop will talk about these things openly.

Repair and reuse count too

Zero waste isn't only about new specialty stores. Fixing a bike, mending clothes, resoling shoes, reusing building materials and buying used furniture all avoid new production. Costa Rica still has plenty of everyday repair trades, from the shoe repair stall to the neighborhood seamstress and bike mechanic. Using them is one of the simplest low-waste habits there is.

Recycling and rewards: the last step, not the first

Recycling matters, but it comes after refusing, reusing and repairing. The digital platform ecoins, founded in Costa Rica in 2018, rewards people for bringing recyclables to authorized collectors. At a June 2026 event, co-founder Karla Chaves said, citing Health Ministry data, that more than a third of the waste Costa Rica produces each day could be recovered through authorized recyclers, Delfino reported. She has also spoken about why recovery rates stay low in an October 2025 Panorama Digital interview.

The people who actually sort that material deserve credit too, like Daniela Campos, whose family recycling center now employs 18 people. For how sorting, collection centers and composting work, read our recycling and composting guide, and if you'd rather pick up litter than shop, our beach cleanups guide shows how to join one.

Where low-waste shopping is easiest

San José and the Central Valley have the most choice: organic grocers, refill counters in Heredia, Alajuela and Cartago, and several weekly organic and community ferias. If you're staying a while, it's worth stocking up here.

Guanacaste has EcoRefill's Liberia store and natural-food shops in the bigger beach towns, but refill options thin out the farther you get from town centers.

The southern zone around Pérez Zeledón has an EcoRefill store, and the Boruca craft cooperatives are a scenic drive away.

Remote areas like the Osa Peninsula or the Caribbean's small villages have fewer options, so bring your kit from the city and buy produce and crafts locally.

A simple low-waste kit for Costa Rica

Cloth bag for shops and ferias, since free plastic bags are banned.
Refillable bottle. Ask locally whether the tap water is drinkable where you're staying, or use your lodge's filtered water station.
One or two jars or containers for refills, bulk food and leftovers.
Reusable cup or straw if you like them; many cafés are happy to fill your cup.
Solid soap and shampoo bars if you're traveling light.

You can find farms, markets and other community stops under food, farms and culture on our map, and more places in our full directory.

The question to ask about any "sustainable" product

Compared with what? A local product may cut packaging compared with an imported one, but a secondhand item may beat both. A biodegradable material may still use a lot of land or water to grow. The best shops can talk about where things come from, how long they last, how to fix them and where their claims stop. The goal isn't to make shopping feel virtuous. It's to buy fewer, better things, from people doing the work of changing everyday habits.

Frequently asked questions

Does Costa Rica ban plastic bags?

Yes, mostly. Since April 20, 2024, Law 9786 has barred supermarkets and shops from selling or giving away single-use plastic bags to shoppers. Reusable bags that meet technical rules and certified biodegradable bags are allowed, and thin produce and meat bags are treated as outside the ban.

Are plastic straws banned in Costa Rica?

Yes. Law 9786 bans the sale and free handout of single-use plastic straws nationwide, with limited health-related exceptions. Expect paper, reusable or no straws at cafés and restaurants.

Where can I refill shampoo or cleaning products in Costa Rica?

EcoRefill lists refill stores in Heredia, Alajuela, Liberia, Cartago and Pérez Zeledón. You bring a clean container, it's weighed before and after filling, and you pay only for the product.

Is there a zero-waste or organic grocery store in San José?

Green Center, open since 2012, describes itself as Costa Rica's first organic and sustainable supermarket and serves the San José area. Weekly ferias are another good option, since you can bring your own bags and containers.

How can I buy authentic Indigenous crafts in Costa Rica?

Buy directly from artisans or community-run groups, such as the women's cooperatives in Boruca known for carved masks and textiles. Ask who made the piece, and avoid anonymous souvenir copies.

Can I use secondhand shops in Costa Rica?

Yes. Secondhand clothing shops, often called "ropa americana," are common in towns across the country, and many beach towns have consignment shops and swap events posted on local social media.

Sources

We checked these pages when we last updated this guide. We didn't interview the people named; their roles and words come from the sources above.

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