Costa Rica is located in the northern part of Latin America. The name "Costa Rica" consists of two parts: "Costa," meaning coast, and "Rica," meaning rich together translating to "Rich Coast." Despite covering only 0.03% of the Earth's land area,
Costa Rica is home to 6% of the planet's biodiversity. This means that every meter of Costa Rican land is considered among the finest in terms of natural richness.
Additionally, the people of Costa Rica are known for being among the most dedicated to environmental conservation and the protection of natural reserves.
However, looking back to 1995, the situation was quite the opposite. The story began in one of the country’s most important national parks, the renowned Guanacaste Reserve.
A countless number of heavy transport trucks, loaded with tons of waste, stormed into the park, dumping massive amounts of waste inside. All that could be seen was an overwhelming shade of orange.
The police were present but did not intervene; instead, they actively assisted the trucks in entering. These waste materials were nothing but tons of orange peels.
To understand the origins of this story and the reason behind this apparent chaos, we must go back in time.
At that time, climate change had severely impacted the soil quality in the Guanacaste Reserve. Since the people of Costa Rica are known for their strong commitment to environmental conservation,
neither the public nor the government could ignore the deterioration of the land. As a result, a scientific mission was assigned to study the issue, consisting of two researchers tasked with finding a solution to this problem.
They decided to implement an innovative plan that was not widely known at the time in the 20th century. As mentioned earlier, orange peels can be used as natural fertilizer,
but they require specific processes to become effective. Additionally, the quantities must be carefully measured unlike the massive, unregulated amounts previously dumped in the reserve.
This is because excessive quantities can harm the soil rather than benefit it. Additionally, the amount of fertilizer must always be less than the crop yield, not more.
Orange peel fertilizer is one of the most expensive organic fertilizers in the world, making it impractical for someone to purchase an entire orange harvest just to use the peels as fertilizer.
But how was such a massive quantity of orange peels collected at such a low cost?
The solution lay in orange juice factories. Near the Guanacaste Reserve, there was a massive juice production plant owned by a company called DELORO.
The plan was to strike a deal with the factory, allowing it to dispose of its waste mainly orange peels within the nearby national park. This arrangement significantly reduced the high costs that would have otherwise been spent on labor, garbage bags, pesticides, transportation fuel, and other disposal expenses.
This offer was highly appealing to the company, which accepted it immediately. A contract was signed with DELORO for a duration of 20 years, under which the company agreed to transport a quarter of a million tons of orange peels to the Guanacaste Reserve.
The contract, which was supposed to last for twenty years, began facing obstacles just one year after implementation. Unfortunately, jealousy became the biggest threat to the project's success specifically, the jealousy of competitors.
The enticing deal that DELORO accepted sparked jealousy among competing companies, which were spending enormous sums on waste disposal. By cutting costs, DELORO was able to lower the price of its products, giving it a significant competitive edge. From the competitors’ perspective, this posed a serious threat to their businesses.
A wave of defamation campaigns and legal complaints began, eventually escalating to the courts and turning into a public issue. Over the course of two years, nearly 12,000 tons of orange peels had been transported to the reserve before everything came to a halt.
The dominant narrative became one of outrage how could these individuals be allowed to pollute a national park, potentially leading to the spread of diseases?
A fierce media war was launched against DELORO. Despite presenting studies and official documents in its defense, the company failed to convince the public of the project's safety.
The plan ultimately backfired against both the researchers and DELORO, leading to the project's shutdown. As a result, tons of orange peels were left abandoned, covering an area of seven acres. In 1997, following the court ruling, the entire idea was scrapped.
Sixteen years after the orange peel project was abandoned, in 2013, a group of researchers from an American university came across the story. The idea intrigued them so much that they decided to travel to Costa Rica to examine the site and see what had become of the abandoned orange peels after all those years.
Indeed, the team, led by ecologist Timothy Treuer, traveled to the Guanacaste Reserve. They expected to easily locate the seven-acre area covered in orange peels, guided by a large sign marking the site. However, upon arrival, they were met with a shocking surprise they couldn't find the two-meter-tall sign at all.
The sign had completely vanished, engulfed by a lush rainforest filled with towering trees. As for the soil, which had once been described as barren, poor, and infertile it had completely transformed, leaving no trace of its previous desolation.
The entire reserve had flourished, transforming into a dense forest. When the researchers finally located the seven-acre site, they made a remarkable discovery 24 different tree species were thriving there, compared to the rest of the reserve, which had only eight tree species.
It became clear that the couple’s idea had successfully achieved its intended goal. This was later confirmed through soil analysis, which revealed significant improvements in fertility and biodiversity.
But what exactly had happened?
From a scientific perspective, no one could precisely determine what had happened. According to Timothy Treuer, the experiment lacked continuous monitoring and daily data recording, making it impossible to draw detailed conclusions. Attempting to define exact results without proper data would be unscientific.
What is certain is that orange peel helped the land recover faster than expected. Evidently, it suppressed invasive and harmful weeds, and the nutrients present in the peel acted as antidotes against toxins and pests affecting the crops.
Timothy Treuer emphasized that while orange peels played a crucial role, this does not mean that any company can simply dump waste anywhere. What happened in the Guanacaste Reserve was a unique case, made possible by the specific location, climate, and the suitability of the orange peels for the environment.
Costa Rica's humid, tropical climate, located near the equator, is vastly different from the colder climates of other countries.
Additionally, the type of orange peels,as well as the insects and microorganisms present in the reserve, are unique to that environment. For these reasons, the experiment cannot simply be replicated elsewhere without considering these specific factors.
Since Timothy Treuer’s statements, research has continued on oranges and their peels, focusing on identifying the most suitable types for different soil conditions.