Romania is joining the „Close the Glass Loop“ initiative, which is coordinated by the Circular Economy Coalition (CERC). The organisation brings together the most important interest groups involved in the transition to a circular economy in Romania.
Romania is the 13th country to join the recycling initiative. It joins the ranks of other national platforms in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The decision followed an event organised jointly by CERC and Close the Glass Loop in Bucharest in March entitled „Towards a Close the Glass Loop Action Plan for Romania“. Following the introduction of a deposit system for all beverages in Romania at the end of 2023 this event brought together glass manufacturers, recyclers, brand manufacturers, distributors, retailers, extended producer responsibility schemes, the national deposit scheme, local and national authorities and financial institutions to discuss how best to improve and increase glass collection and recycling in Romania.
„The introduction of a deposit return scheme is crucial for Romania and we welcome the decision of the Circular Economy Coalition to join the Close the Glass Loop as this will further support the successful implementation of our ambitious glass collection and recycling targets by utilising best practice across the European Union.„
Mircea Fechet, Romanian Minister for the Environment
Constantin Damov, President of the Circular Economy Coalition, emphasised in his comments on this decision: „With the introduction of a deposit system in Romania, we are entering a new era. New and decisive phase for the circular economy of beverages which will of course have a major impact on the circular economy of glass packaging. However, we should not forget that glass packaging is more than just beverages, which means that we need to continue our work with municipalities and extended producer responsibility schemes to ensure that all glass packaging in Romania is collected for recycling. With a local glass industry and a dynamic value chain ready to put the collected glass back into the cycle, there are great potential for closing the glass cycle in Romania.“
„Sharing best practices between national platforms is at the centre of our commitment to Close the Glass Loop. We are ready to support CERC and all its partners in driving glass collection and recycling in Romania to reach our goal of collecting 90 per cent of glass for recycling by 2030. As a durable material, glass can be endlessly recycled without losing its intrinsic properties.“
Olivier Deweerdt, Secretary General of the European Federation of Glass Recyclers FERVER
By sharing best practices between national platforms and promoting joint initiatives for the separate collection of glass packaging from households and the catering industry Close the Glass Loop aims to mobilise the relevant interest groups. The aim is to achieve a quota of 90 per cent for glass recycling in the EU by 2030 - compared to the quota of 80 per cent in 2021.
Source: Close the Glass Loop
