“I am happy that within the PNRR there are funds allocated to the circular economy, and I am referring in particular to the sums for collection centers with voluntary contributions (CAVs). On April 1, we will open the bids at the ministry for the open tender related to these CAVs. The other large centers are in an advanced process of execution, we are very close to awarding the tender for the digitized islands, those separate collection points, which we are going to make available to the local authorities. Finally, a financing line that I consider very important – recycling factories: we are offering 220 million euros through the AFM for those economic operators who are going to carry out recycling activities”, Minister of the Environment Mircea Fechet said during Circular Economy Conference organized by Sustainability-Today and The Diplomat-Bucharest.

“Through the Deposit-Return System we will have impressive amounts of recyclable material this year and in the following years. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of tons of glass, PET, and aluminum. And I believe that all these formidable amounts will actively contribute to a whole horizontal economy and generate investments, jobs and so on.

I have just returned from Brussels, from the Environment Council, where we discussed, among other things, textiles, the extended producer responsibility scheme for textiles, and other possible resources for the circular economy.

Starting from January 1 next year, we will be forced to collect the textile fraction separately. Another topic addressed is that related to bio-waste, which could, in turn, become resources, but which, most of the time, end up in landfills, most of the time untreated, which leads to pollution.”

Full recording of the conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VphMDD4WLnc