RetuRO, the Deposit Return System administrator, reports that in the first six months of the program’s operation, it handed over 29,000 tonnes of DRS packaging to recyclers. This performance represents approximately 85% of the packaging returned and collected from consumers. Of the collected amount sent to recycling stations, about 90% was directed to local operators following the bottle-to-bottle principle, ensuring that the secondary raw material ends up in the same type of product it originated from.
The DRS is a national project that significantly impacts the entire collection-recycling chain, offering a transparent tool for tracking the quantities collected and sent for recycling. In the first six months since its implementation, the Deposit Return System has shown steady progress. Producers have placed 152,000 tonnes of packaging on the market, with 34,000 tonnes collected from the system’s launch until the end of May this year. Currently, around 2,000 daily trips are operated by the 600 vehicles involved in the daily collection of DRS packaging. About 85% of the collected packaging has already been sent to recycling facilities, the final stage of this complex mechanism, confirming the efficient functioning of the Deposit Return System.
“RetuRO not only ensures the return of materials to the market but also maintains transparency throughout the packaging chain, from market placement to collection and recycling. The Guarantee-Return System is developing a comprehensive infrastructure that supports recycling efforts in Romania, integrating technology, state of the art equipment, strategic planning, and, most importantly, community involvement. The results achieved in the first six months since the launch of this national program in Romania reinforce our belief that, together with all stakeholders, we will make a decisive contribution to strengthening a circular economy in Romania”, says Gemma Webb, CEO and President of the RetuRO Board of Directors.
As confirmed by recycling operators, the quality of the secondary raw material provided by RetuRO surpasses any other material (PET, glass, metal) recovered through different collection streams. This superior quality positively impacts their production processes, such as improving energy efficiency. Recyclers also attest that the bales received through the DRS provide the necessary quantities to maintain a continuous recycling process.
Through the circular economy, RetuRO ensures not only the return of materials to the market but also transparency throughout the entire chain, from market placement to collection and recycling. RetuRO publishes monthly preliminary reports (released on the 15th of each month for the previous collection month) and final reports (released on the 25th of each month for the previous collection month) detailing the quantities of packaging handed in for recycling and the amounts entering recycling facilities.
RetuRO collaborates with the largest recycling companies in the local industry across various material types. Their selection criteria include evaluating the companies’ processing capabilities for packaging recycling, available recycling technologies, industry experience and reputation, and financial stability.
A significant aspect of the recycler selection process is ensuring that DRS packaging, once transformed into secondary raw material, adheres to the bottle-to-bottle principle. This process ensures that the secondary raw material is reused in the same type of product it originated from.
The Deposit Return System represents a significant advancement towards promoting a circular economy in Romania. The DRS is an efficient, transparent, and accessible tool that contributes to a cleaner environment and fosters sustainability for the future.
RetuRO Return Guarantee System S.A. (www.returosgr.ro) is a company operating on a not-for-profit basis – which means that any profit made by the company from the collection of beverage containers will be reinvested, exclusively, in the development of DRS. The company was created by a consortium of three private shareholders: the Brewers of Romania Association for the Environment (30%), the Association of Soft Drinks Producers for Sustainability (30%) and the Association of Retailers for the Environment (20%) and a public shareholder, the Romanian state, through the central environmental authority, the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests (20%).
RetuRO, the DRS administrator, operates with exclusively private financing and has the role of ensuring transparency on the quantities of beverage containers placed on the market and returned by consumers, contributing to the sustainable development of Romania, through responsible management of containers waste, in order to achieve the recycling targets imposed on Romania by the European Union.
