“The circular economy is a huge challenge for Romania. We did not realize the importance of the resources found in all types of waste. Unfortunately, not all waste reaches the country’s collection systems. To create an alternative to throwing this waste into rivers, lakes, agricultural lands or forests, a developed infrastructure is needed at the local and regional level,” Tanczos Barna, the Minister of Environment, Water and Forests said during a conference organized by the Circular Economy Coalition (CERC).

“Two years ago, we started several new programs to develop the waste collection infrastructure and offer an alternative to the irresponsible behavior regarding waste disposal.

The sanitation services must be much more efficient, and the separate collection of waste must be much more efficient. We have a national information and public awareness campaign underway. It is the first large-scale information campaign carried out by the Ministry of the Environment.

In addition, through PNRR we finance those digitized islands for household waste recycling. We are preparing significant investments to develop that infrastructure.”