Costa Rica is leading the way in banning single-use plastic. Straws, bottles, utensils, cups, and bags will all be banned by the year 2021.

Currently, 20% of the country’s solid waste is not recycled, ending up polluting rivers, beaches and forests. Costa Rica has a lot to protect: it contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity, even though it's smaller than the state of West Virginia.

Costa Rica is a world leader in wildlife protection and a signatory of the Paris Accord. About 99% of the country’s consumed energy is from renewable resources.

And Costa Rica is not alone in this new law. Kenya and Chile have just passed similar laws forbidding the use of plastic bags.