{"id":3921,"date":"2025-06-04T13:45:43","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T13:45:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/?p=3921"},"modified":"2025-06-04T13:45:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T13:45:46","slug":"ecoteca-uvt-and-returo-organized-the-workshop-responsible-journalism-the-deposit-return-system-and-its-impact-on-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/2025\/06\/04\/ecoteca-uvt-and-returo-organized-the-workshop-responsible-journalism-the-deposit-return-system-and-its-impact-on-society\/","title":{"rendered":"ECOTECA, UVT and RetuRO organized the workshop “Responsible Journalism: The Deposit-Return System and Its Impact on Society”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The ECOTECA Association, in partnership with the West University of Timi\u0219oara (UVT) and RetuRO, organized on Tuesday, June 3rd, the workshop “Responsible Journalism: The Deposit-Return<\/em><\/strong> System and Its Impact on Society”<\/em>, <\/strong>dedicated to students and future journalists from the Faculty of Governance and Communication Sciences at UVT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event complements UVT’s ongoing sustainability initiatives and continues the successful partnership the university has developed with RetuRO since February. The workshop brought together over 20 journalism students and local journalists, offering them a unique opportunity to understand how the Deposit-Return System (DRS) works, what sustainable communication entails, and why using correct environmental terminology matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The workshop was held during Green Month at UVT<\/em>, as part of the ECO Student <\/strong>project launched by ECOTECA, through which university campuses are equipped with reverse vending machines for packaging return. Between March and May 2025, students returned over 11,000 containers <\/strong>at the RVM installed on the UVT campus, recording 608 transactions <\/strong>and a daily average of 154<\/strong> containers collected<\/strong>. The average number of containers per transaction has steadily increased, reaching 21 in May<\/strong>\u2014a clear signal that smart collection solutions implemented in academic environments can drive real behavior change among youth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raul Pop<\/strong>, Program Director at ECOTECA, presented the national context of waste management and offered useful tools for journalists, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf #CumSt\u0103m <\/strong>\u2013 a platform with environmental, economic, and demographic data visualizations<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Biblioteca de Mediu <\/strong>\u2013 resources, guides, legislation, and articles<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Academia de Mediu <\/strong>\u2013 an e-learning platform for professional training<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Nu e bine <\/strong>\u2013 a platform for reporting environmental incidents<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Scoala ECO <\/strong>\u2013 a system for assessing environmental performance in schools<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He emphasized the importance of using accurate terminology: \u201cWe don\u2019t recycle \u2014 we return for<\/em> recycling. It\u2019s not selective collection, but separate collection \u2014 as required by law. These nuances<\/em> matter in sustainability communication.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Petra \u0218erb\u0103nescu<\/strong>, Project Manager of ECO Student, clarified commonly misused terms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf \u201cSelective collection\u201d is incorrect \u2013 the legally regulated term is \u201cseparate collection\u201d;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf \u201cBiodegradable packaging\u201d is often misleading \u2013 \u201cindustrially compostable\u201d is more accurate;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf \u201cZero waste\u201d is an illusion \u2013 \u201cnear-zero waste\u201d is a more appropriate term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ioana Ciobotariu<\/strong>, Consumer Marketing Manager at RetuRO, explained how Romania\u2019s DRS operates \u2014 from the role of producers, retailers, and consumers, to the financial flow, logistics, and operations managed by RetuRO. By the end of April 2025, 1.45 billion containers <\/strong>had been collected, representing a return rate of 82%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYouth engagement in understanding and supporting the Deposit-Return System is<\/em> essential. They are the ones who can carry forward responsible habits and help shift<\/em> mindsets. The better we understand what happens to a container after it’s returned, the<\/em> more likely we are to adopt responsible behavior.\u201d <\/em>\u2013 Ioana Ciobotariu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Timi\u0219 County ranks in the national top 3<\/strong>, with 27 containers returned per capita in April<\/strong>, surpassing the national average of 20. This performance confirms that the system works and is well-received locally, especially among young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event highlighted the need for a well-informed press, capable of communicating environmental issues clearly and responsibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSustainability must become part of journalism\u2019s DNA,\u201d <\/em>said Lecturer Dr. Simona<\/strong> Bader<\/strong>, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Governance and Communication Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Dr. Marilen Gabriel Pirtea<\/strong>, Rector of the West University of Timi\u0219oara, conveyed the following message:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt UVT, we consistently support the formation of a generation that not only learns about<\/em> sustainability but also practices and promotes it in the community. The workshop<\/em> organized together with ECOTECA and RetuRO during Green Month is a concrete<\/em> expression of this mission. We are pleased to see that our journalism students<\/em> increasingly understand the impact they can have through responsible, reality-based,<\/em> and legally aligned communication. UVT will continue to create educational contexts<\/em> where sustainability, innovation, and civic engagement intersect and reinforce each<\/em> other.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To complement the educational experience, today, June 4th, UVT students participated in a field visit<\/strong> to the RetuRO center in Giarmata<\/strong>, one of Romania’s key logistics hubs in the Deposit-Return System. Covering 4,400 sqm and with a processing capacity of up to 8 million containers per month, the center is equipped with advanced technology for sorting, counting, and integrating returned packaging into the circular economy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The ECOTECA Association, in partnership with the West University of Timi\u0219oara (UVT) and RetuRO, organized on Tuesday, June 3rd, the workshop “Responsible Journalism: The Deposit-Return System and Its Impact on Society”, dedicated to students and future journalists from the Faculty of Governance and Communication Sciences at UVT. The event complements UVT’s ongoing sustainability initiatives and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,16,8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3921","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-circular_economy","8":"category-education","9":"category-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3921"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3923,"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3921\/revisions\/3923"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}