The first so called intelligent waste collection unit in Romania was recently opened in the city of Buzau, and allows users to recycle 10 types of packaging – PET, aluminium packs, bottles, Tetra Pack, plastic, as well as paper, electronic and electrical equipment, among others, in exchange for vouchers. The vouchers can be used in Carrefour hypermarkets. For PETs, clients get RON 0.05 per item, while for electronic equipment, RON 0.8 per kilogram for fridges and RON 1.5 per kilogram for laptops, among others.

The project, called Sigurec 1, was implemented by Green Group, in partnership with the Buzau municipality and with Carrefour Romania.

A recent study shows that 92 percent of Romanians are not aware of the economic value their household waste and don't know they can use selective waste collection. And over 38 percent of Romanians believe their carefully selected waste ends up in the same waste area. However, over 57 percent of the respondents said they are aware of the importance of recycling for the environment. The fact that most Romanians don't know what happens to their waste after recycling, whether they actually reach recycling factories is what keeps most from using the selective recycling devices and containers, according to Constantin Damov, co-founder of Green Group.

The company already launched the first selective recycling equipment in Romania in November 2012, in Carrefour hypermarkets, under the names Bancomatul Verde and Reciclatorul Verde, only for recycling PETs aluminium cans and household items in exchange for vouchers.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Carrefour)