Romania’s major cities are investing a total of over 30 million EUR in smart islands for separate waste collection. Brasov, Iasi and Cluj-Napoca are among the cities with the largest investments in separate waste collection infrastructure, according to public data analyzed by Clean Recycle.
Some of the investments were started in 2023, others will be implemented by 2026, and most of the funding comes from the PNRR.
At the top is Brasov, with a total value of around 10 million EUR. The municipality of Brasov has started a project to purchase 275 digitized ecological islands.
The Municipality of Iasi has signed financing contracts for 327 digitalized ecological islands, of which 302 above ground and 25 underground. The total investment amounts to around 8 million EUR.
Cluj-Napoca is also becoming a greener city, with 350 separate waste collection digitalized islands. The investment amounts to almost 6,5 million EUR, contributing to more efficient selective collection and smart solutions for a sustainable urban environment.
Another city that is focusing on developing waste collection infrastructure is Timisoara. The City Hall has purchased 100 digitalized ecological islands with a total value of around 1 million EUR.
In Constanta, 275 new eco-islands will be placed in the city, adding to the 14 eco-islands already installed in 2023. And in Oradea 275 digitalized eco-islands have been installed.
The City Hall of Galati signed a new funding contract through PNRR for the establishment of 61 digitized ecological islands with an investment of around 1 million EUR. This is in addition to the 275 already funded with around 4 million EUR. In total, projects are underway for 336 modern waste collection points to cover all areas of the city, the Clean Recycle analysis added.
Since March, Sighisoara has been implementing a pilot project of digitized eco-islands for separate waste collection, financed with non-reimbursable European funds through the PNRR with a value of approximately 500.000 EUR.
„It is important to actively contribute to making Romanian cities cleaner, smarter and more sustainable communities. The projects being implemented in Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Brasov or Iași demonstrate the commitment of local authorities to modern waste management. As OIREP, we reaffirm our role as a strategic partner in the transition towards a circular economy, supporting the expansion of the selective collection infrastructure and the digitalization of this essential sector for our common future”, says Cosmin Monda, founder and CEO of Clean Recycle.
In fact, since November last year, The Ministry of Environment has carried out a national program to install over 2.000 digitized eco-islands for separate waste collection in 50 localities of the country. These include Alba Iulia, Bacău, Suceava, Deva and Predeal. The project, funded by PNRR, has a total value of over 260 million EUR, the Clean Recycle analysis also shows.
In the first 4 months of the year, Clean Recycle managed more than 35 thousand tons of packaging waste for more than 900 customers in its portfolio.
Clean Recycle is one of the top 5 players in the local market for the transfer of responsibility regarding packaging waste (OIREP), taking over the obligation of reporting the collection and recovery of packaging and packaging waste placed on the market by producers and importers. Clean Recycle manages a portfolio of over 900 companies that produce and market packaging waste accross Romania, operating in sectors such as FMCG and retail, agribusiness, automotive, distribution, industrial production, pharmaceuticals and more.
