With demand for gold at an all-time high, Costa Rica has an opportunity to prosper. The gold mines near Las Juntas consistently see 15-20 grams per ton and have been successfully producing for over 100 years for a total exceeding 1.5 million ounces. However, the mercury-based refining method of the arrastas (local refiners) is crude, inefficient, and severely damaging to the environment. The environmentally-conscious government of Costa Rica has tried to halt mercury refining, but it was overturned by intense protests from the small miners. A new company has brought its expertise to Costa Rica to build a more efficient and environmentally-safe gold mill to help the local miners and to eliminate the mercury pollution.






