The entry into the local market comes at a time when Romania is preparing to implement new rules for the collection and recycling of packaging.
In October 2021, the government approved a decree regulating the guarantee-return system (SGR), according to which consumers will pay from October 2022 a guarantee of RON0.50 when buying a beverage in a shop. Once the beverage drunk, consumers will have to bring the empty packaging to a return point in order to get their guarantee back. Guarantees are then refunded to consumers on the spot. The scheme includes primary disposable glass, plastic or metal packaging with volumes between 0.1 and 3 liters for beverages.
TOMRA has sold around 450 reverse vending machines since entering the market this year.
“In Romania we have a unique opportunity to make a step change and learn from what other countries have already successfully tested and implemented. Retailers, manufacturers and local public authorities can make SGR a success story if they adopt proven best practices and best-in-class technology”, says Dorin Mihai, general manager of TOMRA Collection Romania.
Globally, seven out of 10 existing reverse vending machines are produced by TOMRA. The Norwegian company has around 80,000 such machines installed in 60 countries, collecting more than 40 billion pieces of beverage packaging placed on the market globally every year.
The first TOMRA machines were installed in Romania in 2012 as part of a voluntary project and have since collected more than 571 million PET bottles, 63 million aluminum cans and 34 million glass bottles.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)