Romania has become the 14th European country to introduce a deposit return system (DRS) for drink containers and is striving to beat the targets of the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive and tackle beverage container pollution.

With almost 80,000 collection points, the Romanian system is set to become the second-largest in Europe and the world’s largest centralised national DRS by volume.

The plan is to cover over 7 bn drink containers each year, according to Norwegian sorting technology firm Tomra (Asker; www.tomra.com). The Romanian programme covers all beverages, except milk, in single-use glass, plastic, or metal containers with volumes ranging from 0.1 to 3 litres. 

In the system, consumers pay a deposit of approximately Eur 0.10 in local currency when purchasing an eligible, labelled drink. After consumption, consumers can bring the empty to an automated or manual return point at retailer locations, where they receive a refund in cash or in the form of a voucher. 

The containers can be returned to all stores that sell eligible beverage containers, Tomra explained. 

The system will help Romania honour its waste collection and recycling commitments, with targets for plastic bottles including a separate collection rate of 77% by 2025 and 90% by 2029. Through the programme, Romania plans to raise its collection rate from 12% to 13% to a minimum of 90% in 2026, ensuring drink containers can be repeatedly turned into new bottles and cans, according to Tomra. 

The Romanian DRS system uses a software solution from Slovakia’s Sensoneo (Bratislava; www.sensoneo.com). The company said its software is the backbone of the entire system as it integrates all stakeholders and gathers data from all sources within the process chain.

The system operator is Romania’s RetuRO (Bucharest; www.returosgr.ro), a consortium pf private entities – associations of beverage producers and retailers – with minor public participation through the Romanian Environmental Ministry. 

Tomra Collection Romania provides reverse vending machine infrastructure to retailers to automate the return of drink containers and make the collection process more efficient. The company said it had also advised retailers on DRS implementation and selecting the most suitable reverse vending machine based on store needs.

Dorin Mihai, general manager of the Tomra unit, called the DRS an efficient and proven solution to waste challenges. “Many stakeholders have been involved and consulted in the process to bring this DRS to life, such as retailers and beverage producers.” 

According Tomra, 87% of recyclers use their deposit refund to pay for purchases in the same store where they return containers. Around 76% of those surveyed said the primary motivation for returning containers was reclaiming the deposit, while 59% named environmental concerns and 44% a desire to keep their homes tidy. 

“Accessibility and ease of use are crucial for consumers when returning containers – a valuable insight for retailers in planning their container return facilities,” Mihai said. "The fact that so many consumers in existing deposit markets use the deposit to pay for groceries in the same store where they return containers also highlights the business opportunities that a DRS can bring for retailers.”