"It's a zero to hero story," said Gemma Webb, CEO of RetuRO, the company running the system in a public-private partnership with beverage packaging manufacturers and the state."
"The products are clean, there is little contamination, they can be recycled easily and we have full traceability as well, so we know every bottle that goes on the market."
"We are the largest fully integrated deposit return system globally."
"It's a great system, everyone in our village uses it, there's always a queue at the shop."
Romania implemented a deposit return system charging 0.50 RON per beverage container refundable upon return of cleaned, intact packaging. The system achieved a 94% collection and recycling rate for beverage packaging within two years. Consumers returned about 7.5 billion containers between November 2023 and September 2025, including 4 billion PET bottles, 2 billion metal cans, and 1.5 billion glass containers. More than 500,000 tonnes of high-quality recyclable materials were collected. RetuRO operates the DRS in a public-private partnership with beverage packaging manufacturers and the state, providing full traceability and low contamination. Rural and urban residents participate and can earn supplemental income through returns.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]