Opinion by Adrian Teampău, Director, Environmental Taxes and Circular Economy, and Anca Andrei-Cimbru, Manager, Environmental Taxes and Circular Economy, Deloitte Romania
Plastic that is not recycled comes at a cost to both the environment and the public budget. Recently published Eurostat data show that, in 2024, an average of 35.9 kg of plastic packaging waste was generated per capita in the European Union, of which only 15.3 kg was recycled. The gap amounts to 20.6 kg per capita, while the average recycling rate reached 42.4%.
For Romania, this gap also translates into a national contribution to the European Union budget. Since 1 January 2021, Member States have been required to pay an EU own resource contribution calculated on the basis of the amount of unrecycled plastic packaging waste, applying a uniform rate of €0.80 per kilogram, with adjustment mechanisms provided for certain Member States.
More Than RON 5 Billion in Less Than Five Years
According to information provided by the Romanian Ministry of Finance, Romania’s contributions amounted to RON 568,441,792 in 2021, RON 967,520,790 in 2022, RON 1,076,896,768 in 2023 and RON 1,316,701,387 in 2024. For the period from 1 January to 1 October 2025, the reported amount stands at RON 1,125,859,520.
Combined, these amounts total RON 5,055,420,257, or nearly €1 billion.
The scale of this expenditure also highlights the extent of the challenges facing Romania’s collection and recycling system. Every kilogram of plastic packaging that remains unrecycled affects the basis for calculating the country’s contribution and, consequently, adds to the pressure on public finances.
Where Should Efforts Be Focused?
First, access to separate waste collection must be genuinely available and reliable. The mere presence of a designated bin or yellow collection bag is not enough if waste is collected irregularly, different waste streams are subsequently mixed, or citizens are not given clear instructions on which packaging materials are accepted.
Second, the journey of each material must be verified, from the waste generator to the recycling facility. Data on the quantities collected, sorted, rejected and recycled must be consistent and verifiable. Without this traceability, reporting may demonstrate activity without proving the ultimate outcome: the transformation of waste into secondary raw material.
Third, producers, producer responsibility organisations, local authorities, waste collection operators, sorting facilities and recyclers must work with compatible and comparable performance indicators. The quantity of packaging placed on the market, the quantity collected and the quantity actually recycled are not interchangeable concepts. Any differences must be explained and documented.
What Does This Mean for Businesses?
For companies placing packaged products on the market, the cost associated with unrecycled plastic reinforces the need for an approach that combines regulatory compliance with packaging design. Reducing packaging weight, eliminating components that are difficult to separate, using formats compatible with sorting infrastructure and increasing recycled content can help mitigate risks and improve circularity. However, such decisions must be based on technical data and the requirements applicable to each type of packaging.
At the same time, companies need detailed records of their packaging materials, weight, format, destination and sales channel. This information is becoming essential both for meeting current extended producer responsibility (EPR) obligations and for preparing for the implementation of new European requirements on packaging and packaging waste.
From a Budgetary Cost to an Investment in Circularity
The contribution based on unrecycled plastic is not, in itself, a substitute for investment in collection, sorting and recycling. Payments to the EU budget do not automatically build local infrastructure or resolve traceability gaps. The public policy objective should therefore be to reduce the amount of unrecycled plastic that determines the contribution: fewer unnecessary packaging materials, better separate collection and larger quantities of plastic actually recycled.
The nearly €1 billion attributable to the period from 1 January 2021 to 1 October 2025 provides a clear measure of the cost of inaction.
