RetuRO, the administrator of the Deposit-Return System, the largest circular economy project in Romania, opens its second beverage packaging collection center in the country, within the logistics park in Giarmata, Timis County.

Here, only beverage containers returned by consumers through the Deposit-Return System, marked with a specific barcode and the “Ambalaj cu garanție” logo, will be counted, sorted, and sent for recycling.

The RetuRO center in Giarmata has an area of approximately 4,400 square meters and is equipped with advanced packaging processing equipment. With the operationalization of this center, RetuRO adds new green job opportunities to the list, through the 32 employees working in two shifts at this collection unit.

RetuRO will gradually develop the infrastructure of regional centers for the Deposit-Return System by the end of the year, concurrently with the increase in the volume of beverage packaging introduced to the market by producers, returned by consumers, and collected by retailers. Together with the RetuRO center in Bonțida, RetuRO wil process approximately one billion beverage packages annually.

Gemma Webb, CEO and President of the RetuRO Board:

The inauguration of RetuRO’s second sorting and counting center signifies more than just the opening of a facility; it’s about reinforcing our commitment to reshaping Romania’s recycling landscape. Our goal is to make recycling accessible to every Romanian, seamlessly integrated into daily life. Since the official launch of the Deposit-Return System in Romania on November 30th, we’ve witnessed a gradual integration of DRS beverage containers into retail stores. Producers and importers have transitioned to exclusively producing DRS products from now on, while retailers have received their starter packs and are preparing to accept empty containers from the public, which RetuRO will collect from their stores.

This is an objective we cannot achieve alone. We want to reaffirm our commitment to the environment, and we call on all Romanians to join us in this collective effort to build a greener future for our country.

Mircea Fechet, Minister of Environment, Waters, and Forests:

Just two months after its launch, we observe that the Deposit-Return System brings both challenges and remarkable progress in our collective effort to promote recycling, reduce the environmental impact of packaging pollution, and ensure compliance with European recycling targets. As previously emphasized, the Romanian government has fulfilled its duty regarding the implementation of the DRS, and this new facility serves as further evidence that the private sector is earnestly embracing its role with seriousness and responsibility. The capacity of this center to process approximately 8 million packages per month underscores the importance and necessity of such initiatives. It is noteworthy that in Romania, with our goal of recovering approximately 7 billion packages annually from the market, we are implementing the second-largest Deposit-Return System in Europe, following the example of Germany, which processes 18 billion packages per year.

The DRS will serve as a best practice example for governments worldwide, being the largest system of its kind with a centralized process. Retailers are a crucial link in this equation, ensuring the cohesion and functionality of the entire chain. Their role extends beyond commercial aspects; they are the ones who guarantee the success of this nationally-oriented sustainability project.

At the RetuRO center in Giarmata, both manually collected and automatically collected beverage packaging, through RVM (Reverse Vending Machine) equipment, will be transported.