“The TeraPlast group has been active for several years in the field of recycling. Through TeraPlast Recycling, we managed to be one of the largest recyclers of rigid PVC in Europe, PVC that we later use in our production processes, but also sell to third parties.
We are still dissatisfied with the fact that we have to import a good part of the raw material from abroad because in Romania there is not enough collection or sorting, especially of construction waste. That is why we are forced to go to other countries for the raw material, and this means an increase of 50-80 euros per ton in the price of this input for us,” Alexandru Stanean, CEO TeraPlast said during Circular Economy Conference organized by Sustainability Today.
“Romania must have a better waste collection infrastructure, especially waste from demolitions, because there are recyclers and TeraPlast is one of them.
Beyond this problem, plastics have been demonized lately, and this happens because there is a misunderstanding regarding their use and especially regarding their recycling. Plastics contribute decisively to the comfort of life we have today. I don’t think anyone can imagine their life without plastics. All these plastics must be used rationally, recycled, and reused.
In Romania, recycling almost does not exist. If we refer to municipal waste, we have a circularity rate of 1.3% compared to the EU average of 13%.
We have a total recycling rate of 29% compared to 55% in the European Union. We are in this situation because we do not have the culture or the infrastructure to recycle well enough. There are recyclers in Romania, but they are not fed with raw material. The collection system does not produce enough raw material for the recycling part.
Beyond the recycling component, we are in the process of evaluating the carbon footprint with the aim of achieving climate neutrality. We have to measure this carbon footprint and then we have to come up with measures to reduce it.”
Full recording of the conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz1zrmH4Sa8&t=8196
