Romania – In a bid to improve on the country’s 3% recycling rate for aluminium, Romania’s Environment and Forestry Ministry has installed a series of vending machines at major shopping centres throughout the country. According to the government, the move is designed to help towards its target of collecting 55% of aluminium cans by January 2014.
The Euro 20 000 vending machines accept PET bottles as well as aluminium cans and offer a voucher worth 5 bani (Euro 0,01) per item.
Meanwhile, the Environment Ministry has agreed to cancel the 16% tax on recyclers and the 3% tax on recycling aluminium cans, while retailers themselves have united to cover the cost of the vouchers. According to Prime Minister Victor Ponta, the government will partially subsidise those local authorities that opt to participate in the take-back scheme.
The initiative was first launched on a pilot scale at Pistesti in 2010, involving five recycling machines that collected over 60 000 PET bottles and around 21 000 aluminium cans each month.
Romania is performing far below the European average of 70% aluminium recycling, the ministry has stated.
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