Romania's Deposit Return System sees 41% increase in packaging returns

Green Forum

25 July, 2024 at 2:10 PM

RetuRO, the administrator of the Deposit Return System, the largest circular economy project in Romania, announced that The Deposit Return System has developed steadily in the seven months since its implementation, with monthly figures rising. Consumers returned 350 million DRS packaging in June, 41% more than in May. The collection rate was 50% in June.

In total, 862 million DRS packs were returned by consumers between December 2023 and June 2024, and more than 2.7 billion DRS packs had been put on the market by the end of June.

"Consumers have got into the habit of returning used beverage containers to retailers, which we are pleased about. The DRS is producing the expected effects, and we have the support of all partners involved in the scheme - authorities, producers, and retailers. We are focused on achieving the program's objective to contribute to increasing the recycling rate in Romania and to have a cleaner environment. The Romanian Deposit Return System is a complex process, being the largest fully integrated system globally and the second largest in Europe after Germany. It was to be expected that we would also face challenges, seeing similar experiences to other countries that have introduced the system. It takes around 18 months for such a system to reach maturity", says Gemma Webb, CEO and Chairman of the RetuRO Board.

Kantar's most recent survey of a representative sample of consumers, conducted in June this year, shows a significant increase in the number of those who have already adopted the Deposit Return System. 4 out of 5 Romanians have returned DRS packaging at least once, a significant increase from March when half of the respondents said they had done so.

According to the same survey, consumers' perception of RetuRO as the administrator of the largest national circular economy project in the environmental area has also improved. 81% of Romanians perceive RetuRO as a company that gets involved and gives them the necessary levers to recycle. The awareness of the DRS among the population has also continued to grow, with 98% of those surveyed now aware of the system.

Currently, 4,000 RVMs (automated collection machines for DRS packaging) are available nationwide. Through the circular economy approach, RetuRO ensures the return of materials to the market and the transparency of the material's journey through the entire chain, from when it is placed on the market and collected to when it enters the recycling stations. In the first seven months since the implementation of the system in Romania, RetuRO has handed over 49,000 tons of DRS packaging to recyclers, representing about 85% of the amount of packaging returned and collected from consumers.

Today, more than 1,000 means of transport are involved in the daily collection of DRS packaging, making

2,000 trips.

Currently, 75,000 economic operators are registered in the DRS, half of which have already signed contracts with RetuRO and can organize return points.