We have roamed over thousands of kilometres in the last months throughout Romania. We’ve worked with hundreds of volunteers, dozens of people from municipalities, local organizers. We’ve spoken to journalists, Mayors, common people, and children. We’ve seen “shepherds” coming with their carts stuck with old stuff to drop them off. We’ve seen “barbeque-lovers” coming to us and asking for plastic bags to fill them with their trash.
We’ve met “slightly jolly” bikers throwing their stumps in the ecologic ashtrays offered by us, although they then fell asleep on the motor’s handle bar.
We’ve been sought by the stall sellers to give them trash bags to help keep clean the area in which they were finishing their goodies. A retired lady 50 km away from our collection location called us after hearing on the radio about our campaign. She had gathered all her neighbours and collected all the old home appliances from their homes, but had no means to bring them to us.
The old ladies in the villages we’ve visited were asking us “what’s an appliance?” “Anything with a power cord”, we answered. “Oh! I’ve got an old radio, too… I’ll bring it” And she brought it to the drop off tent, in her gas tank trolley.
We’ve found people waiting for us in the street, watching so as the old appliances aren’t taken “by the wrong people, only to end up in the river”. We’ve worked with Mayors who, at the precise moment the programme was starting, decided the “order of battle”: the policeman from the Municipality office, two lads to help, the yellow ribbon around the drop off point, two billboards, just because they knew that it needs to be done, without anyone having to ask.
We’ve made acquaintance to children aged 12-14 who came in their full dignity with a vacuum or a small apparel in the baskets on their bikes and left filled with joy, for having done a good deed.
We’ve been sought by journalists to provide details about our campaigns; they’ve promoted our activities in dozens of articles and got involved in further releasing our message… “WEEE has toxic potential. They have to be correctly recycled, because if hazardously thrown away they pollute the environment”.
Village Mayors came to the RoRec tent and brought with their own hands old stuff from their homes and offices. “It’s good you came, for we have no place to take them. There is no drop off center in this area. We find them thrown away, out in the fields; we don’t know how to get rid of them”.
Thousands of kilometres, thousands of people, hundreds of volunteers, thousands of items collected, tens of thousands of kilos of WEEE…
We keep on going with light hearts… leaving each place a little richer than before. Clean places… people understanding why we all should do this… children who will care about properly disposing of their trash, and will have their grownups care as well… Mayors content that the environment in their community is healthier.
We, as a nation, still have a chance… with these diligent, beautiful people, so willing to get involved.
And the actions of our association in this direction have merely started!
Reported by Andreea Idriceanu Calev