Visible fee
RoRec Association’s activities are financially supported through the contribution paid by the consumers for the costs of the collection, treatment and non-polluting disposal of electrical and electronic waste. This contribution takes the form of a visible fee, known as the green fee, the green stamp or the eco-fee.
How can each of us contribute to the safe disposal of e-waste?
By paying the visible fee and by correctly disposing of these electrical waste at the drop-off points. This is a fee applied as of 30 July 2007 to electrical and electronic equipment and home appliances, representing the costs of the collection and recycling of e-waste.
The value of the visible fee covers in this way the financing of the entire WEEE collection and recycling process, as well as the fulfillment of the environment objectives set both in the European and Romanian legislation.
What is the role of the visible fee?
This fee finances the costs of recycling electrical and electronic equipment that we want to replace, either because it is broken or outdated.
This fee, established according to the type of newly-purchased equipment, ensures the funds needed for the safe disposal of old equipment which has now become waste.
By paying this fee, in a transparent way, each of us contributes directly to the protection of the environment, to the recovery of useful parts of old appliances and the creation of an efficient system of waste disposal and neutralisation.
Where does our money go?
The sums resulting from the visible fee are collected by the Romanian Association for Recycling RoRec, in a transparent manner, through a process overseen by the authorities, and they are then spent in the waste management process.
This process includes: WEEE collection; sorting, disassembling, neutralising and recycling old equipment; transporting different types of waste to the specialised recyclers; treating and recycling various components according to performance indicators established by law and CENELEC standards, in order to obtain secondary raw materials and re-introduce them in the production process; consumer information; reporting to state authorities.
All these operations are supported through the visible fee that we pay when we buy a new product.
Why do we pay this fee?
Because we are directly responsible for the waste we produce. According to the legislation currently in force, the waste electrical and electronic equipment is collected in special collection centres or in the retailers’ shops. It is forbidden by law to throw old equipment to the dust bin, on fields or behind the block where we live.
What are the reasons for this decision?
Statistics prove that environment problems become more serious all the time. Recycling has become a compulsory solution for the conservation of natural resources and for the reduction of environment pollution. By learning to recycle, we learn in fact to become responsible inhabitants of the blue planet.
First of all, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is harmful for the environment, being ten times more dangerous than household waste. WEEE has in its structure many non-degradable elements, which contain toxic substances, the most dangerous of which are lead, mercury and cadmium. By collecting and treating WEEE according to environmental standards, the harmful substances do not reach any longer the water, air or soil. In this way, we contribute actively to the protection of the environment.
Furthermore, 75% of WEEE components are recyclable and can be reintroduced in the industry, at much lower costs. In consequence, when we choose to dispose responsibly of old, useless or broken appliances in our homes by taking them to the collection centres, we prevent the needless consumption of raw materials and the waste of materials that are still useful.
Can we avoid paying the visible fee?
No. The value of the fee is included in the purchasing price of the electrical or electronic product.
Is the visible fee applied to all electrical and electronic equipment put on market?
Yes. Regardless of the brand, we pay the visible fee, because it is included in the purchasing price. All electrical and electronic equipment producers and distributors apply the visible fee.