“The collection of packaging waste is carried out with huge budgets from the drink manufacturers. But something is not working and that is why the packaging manufacturers said that there is a need to implement the deposit-return system in Romania.

The classic packaging collection system is not working well despite the funding of hundreds of millions of euros. Only 15-20% of packaging waste is returned from this collection system, which is very little,” Alin Visan, president APBRS (Association of Soft Drinks Producers for Sustainability) said during Waste Management Forum organized by The Diplomat-Bucharest and Sustainability Today.

“Thus, the producers have decided to take a step forward and assume an even more important role, to invest resources and management in order to bring to the surface the waste of beverage packaging from the municipal waste flow. We want this waste to have a better quality, to be clean, so that we can have quality recycling.

The deposit-return system involves certain costs, but it is very important for Romania. The solution is greater responsibility on the part of local authorities. Local authorities are responsible for implementing effective waste management systems. There is no political will to implement such systems responsibly. There are of course exceptions and cases of good practices in certain communes and cities in Romania, but we have to see how we can have such systems at the level of the entire country. We have to convince the citizens that they have to make a separate collection at their homes.”