The Romanian Government today adopted a decision on the establishment of the deposit-return system for non-reusable primary packaging.

“Today we decided to allow the sale of those products that are still on the shelves of stores in Romania and which, being manufactured before January 1, 2024, do not bear that DRS logo. The producers would have been put in the situation of withdrawing those drinks from the shelves, but if the products are within the validity period, we considered that such an effort is not necessary,” said the Environment Minister, Mircea Fechet.

“6 months after the entry into force of the DRS, we can say that it is the best example of sustainability and innovation in the last 30 years, in the matter of the circular economy in Romania. The DRS system has changed the lives of all Romanians, and the importance of packaging recovery brings environmental and economic benefits at the same time. As for PET, for the first time since the revolution, the big processors have decided that it is no longer necessary to import this material, since the DRS provides enough raw material. To date we have recovered more than half a billion cans or bottles using DRS. This month we estimate to exceed the 200 million packaging mark, which confirms that the DRS is on the right track, we are meeting our targets and indicators and there are fewer and fewer pets thrown on the riverbanks, in nature.”

The deadline until which products without the DRS brand can be introduced to the market and traded is December 31, 2024. After this date, their introduction to the national market and trade is prohibited.