20
Best practice in
Romania… and beyond
R e c y c l i n g m a j o r G re e n G ro u p l e a d s t h e w a y
A EUR 200 million investment in innovation
and capacity expansion has been putting plas-
tics, e-scrap, battery and glass recycler
GreenGroup at the forefront of the circular
economy in central and eastern Europe.
Recycling International flew in Romania to
learn more.
GreenGroup’s e-scrap and glass recy-
cling divisions. Two or three times a
week he commutes between Bucharest
and Buzau. ‘Our headquarters is in
Bucharest but Buzau among other
locations is where the recycling really
happens, where my heart starts beat-
ing faster.’
CREATING FUTURE SOLUTIONS
Buzau has also proven to be fertile soil
for GreenGroup. At the main facility for
e-scrap recycling (GreenWEEE), mas-
sive construction and expansion are
underway. One of the eyecatchers is a
new fridge recycling line, arised from
an open space next to the existing
yard. Another building still under con-
struction will soon house new offices
and a educational hub/visitors centre.
‘We believe it’s important to help edu-
cate both younger and older genera-
tions what recycling means and how it
can help create a cleaner and more
sustainable world,’ says Costache.
‘Recycling is important but we recy-
clers have to be prepared to open the
gate and show which great things are
happening here.’
INNOVATIVE APPROACH
The latest recycling solution being
developed with GreenGroup is the
Grinner project, funded through the
European Union’s Horizon Europe pro-
gramme. The goal is an autonomous
AI-enabled robotic sorting system
capable of detecting and removing
e-scrap including batteries from waste
streams before they enter machines
that crush and consolidate waste, dam-
aging the batteries and increasing the
risk of fire.
‘It’s essential to prioritise safety and
address potential risk,’ says Costache.
Separating batteries by using a combi-
nation of AI technology and X-ray pro-
vides a powerful solution to address
these challenges.’
RAPID GROWTH
GreenGroup has come a long way in a
relatively short time. From small begin-
nings in 2002, it has developed into an
integrated group of companies which
today offers multiple closed loop solu-
tions for the collection, logistics, recy-
To see what the future of modern recy-
cling in Romania looks like, Buzau,
home to GreenGroup’s main opera-
tions, is the place to visit. It’s two hours
by car in crazy traffic to get north east
from the capital Bucharest to this pro-
vincial town.
The drive to Buzau is an attraction in
itself for two reasons. One is the spec-
tacular views over corn and sunflower
fields with the Carpathian mountains
on the horizon. The other is the 100
A U T H O R | P H O T O S Martijn Reintjes
From left to
right: Green
Group’s Mihaela
Sofronea
(pr manager
GreenWEEE),
Marius
Costache (ceo
GreenWEEE,
GreenGlass),
Constantin
Damov (chair-
man Green
Group), and
Anda Stancu
(corporate com-
munications
director Green
Group).
km road connecting Bucharest and
Buzau. It has three lanes, with the mid-
dle lane used for overtaking – when
speeds of 140 km per hour or more are
common (in both directions). Which
may explain the car wrecks and over-
turned trucks we pass on our way.
Romania ranks high in terms of
Europe’s most dangerous roads.
The good news is, we have a fast but
safe driver who also happens to be
great company. Marius Costache leads
20-21-22-23_greengroup.indd 20 14-09-2023 08:53
