Environment minister: Romania’s deposit-return system “works as expected,” collection rate on the rise

Romania’s Deposit-Return System, SGR, “works as expected,” environment minister Mircea Fechet said, noting that the collection rate of recyclable packaging is rising constantly. By fall, the number of collected packages is expected to reach 2 billion.

“The results are positive. If we look at the numbers, we passed 1.3 billion (e.n. returned packages) at the end of July, and we’ll soon reach the second billion, which means a lot for the environment, just as it means a lot for business and jobs,” minister Fechet said, quoted by Agerpres.

The sixth regional center for collecting and processing SGR packaging was opened in Dolj county on Monday, August 19, and the environment minister said the new opening proves that the scheme is working.

“Only the equipment here cost over EUR 6 million and created 120 green jobs,” Mircea Fechet said.

He mentioned, however, that certain things still need to be improved regarding this system, especially at the collection points.

“There are often unjustifiably long queues at those collection machines, there are stores that today, eight months from the launch of the Deposit-Return System, simply refuse, even though the law obliges them, to take the packaging from people,” the minister said.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Sabin Cirstoveanu)