Roughly 8 in 10 bottles in Romania recycled through DRS system, outgoing RetuRO CEO says
Romania’s deposit-return system, known locally as SGR, managed to collect over 83% of bottles in 2025, according to Gemma Webb, outgoing CEO of network operator RetuRO.
The country’s DRS system was at the center of the Resource Recovery Summit 2026 event, which was held in Bucharest on Wednesday, March 19, and reunited top environment officials and private operators to discuss the circular economy.
The opening plenary of the summit featured vice-prime minister Tanczos Barna and environment minister Diana Buzoianu, but also RetuRO head Gemma Webb. The latter said during her speech that Romania’s Deposit-Return System currently generates significant economic, environmental, and societal impact at the national level.
“In less than three years of operation, we have collected over nine billion packages and sold over 650,000 tons of materials to recyclers. In 2025, the second year of activity, we reached a collection rate of 83% and sold 95% of these materials to recyclers, to be reintroduced into the circuit through recycling and subsequent reuse,” she said.
“By ensuring a local and stable supply of PET, aluminum, and glass, we have reduced dependence on imports and strengthened the Romanian industry. Waste has become a resource, and we have kept this resource here in Romania to be further utilized. Romania’s SGR system has become a benchmark in the sector, both nationally and internationally,” Webb added.
She added that implementing such a project requires solid public policies as well as predictability at the regulatory level. From a social perspective, SGR has generated a significant cultural shift regarding responsible behavior toward the environment in Romania, according to the RetuRO CEO.
“Romanians have noticed on the streets that there are no longer bottles thrown away, that there are no longer packages in fields and along roadsides. The system was not designed only for people, but was built together with them. [...] Romania offers a valuable perspective on what it truly means to build a circular economy infrastructure from scratch,” Webb concluded.
The day after the event, Gemma Webb announced her departure from RetuRO.
Romania’s SGR system is also set to expand. In press statements given after a panel, environment minister Diana Buzoianu said that plans are in motion to include milk and soda cartons in the system. Other types of packaging are also being analyzed.
(Photo source: Ministerul Mediului - România on Facebook)
