Have you ever had to answer the question: “How can I dispose of the old fridge I have?” Or maybe a washing machine? Or a big and heavy TV set? We have faced this situation and tried to find solutions: shall we take it to the grandmother’s at the country? Good idea, but it is difficult to ship. And this costs money. Shall we give it to a neighbor? What if he doesn’t need it? Then take it to the garbage bin? We heard it is not legal. What if the neighbors make a complaint to the authorities? It is not like a pin head to go unnoticed. Or has it happened that a well wisher asked you for money to take the wreck?
The Romanian Recycling Association has developed a simple collection system aimed at meeting the needs of citizens who ask these questions and search for answers and efficient solutions. It is a local free pick-up from home service for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), based on a phone request at a dedicated call-center.
The premiere of this unique program took place at the end of 2012, in Timisoara City. It is a program developed by RoRec Association together with the local authorities. The service was very well received by citizens. Here there are some of their statements:
“It is extremely useful as there are many people who have electrical and electronic equipment and do not know where to dispose of it and even if they know, they do not have the means to do it. For example, I have kept this TV set for 2 years”.
“Yes, it is very useful, you do not need to handle the item yourself, it is picked up and after disposal you make space for a new appliance that you want.”
This service was conceived as a new way to collect WEEE, a provision of the European legislation: “As you are aware, according to the European Directive, we need to collect in Timisoara at least 1,200 tons of e-waste every year. We have collected together with RoRec Association an average of 40 tons and we hope that in the following years we will collect more”, declared Adrian Bere, Manager of the Environment Directorate- Timisoara City Hall.
In Timisoara City, the e-waste is picked up from home free of charge, in the last Saturday of every month, based on a phone order. To schedule a transport, the citizens are invited to call up RoRec dispatch center, from Monday to Saturday, between 09.00-18.00 hours.
“The idea came out as a result of the long term partnership with RoRec Association and of the citizens’ request to have a permanent service, besides the official collection moments in spring and autumn, a service addressed to those who cannot transport this type of waste, which is usually quite heavy, for the elders and people with disabilities. We cannot be but very thrilled that this is happening”, said Dan Diaconu, Deputy Mayor of Timisoara when the service was launched.
At not less than two months since this national premiere, another important city in Romania joined the program of the Romanian Recycling Association RoRec. Starting February 2013, Baia Mare City can proudly offer a new service for the community.
The fact that the idea of the project was so quickly adopted by the local authority in Baia Mare proves the efficiency of this service. Actually, the Romanian Recycling Association has extended the toolbox for citizens to responsibly and correctly dispose of their old or broken home appliances that pose a high pollution risk.
The citizens in Baia Mare benefit from the same collection system, based on a phone request at the following number: 0800 444 800, available from Monday to Sunday, between 09.00-17.00. The last Thursday of every month is the day dedicated for the collection of all items as scheduled by phone.
“The people help us accomplish our mission and they understood the importance of collection and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment. RoRec Association promises to the citizens in Baia Mare that it will continue to offer multiple possibilities to dispose of old home appliances so that we succeed together to build around us a cleaner and less polluted world” declared Florin Popa, Regional Manager, RoRec Association.
And the success of this free pick up from home service drew the attention of another city that will implement the program starting March 2013. It is Satu Mare City, where the citizens, public institutions, economic operators who would like to responsibly dispose of the old equipment are invited to call up the phone number 0800 444 800, available from Monday to Sunday, between 09.00-17.00.
“To wish for a cleaner and less polluted town is not enough. That is why RoRec Association is continuously looking for ways to facilitate the collection process for the citizens, public institutions, economic operators. By this free pick up from home service we would like once again to meet the citizens’ need to dispose of their heavy and large WEEE. All they have to do is to call us – we take care of the rest!”, went on Florin Popa.
In the case of Satu Mare City, the collection will take place in the first Saturday of every month. From more than 70 requests received during the first month from the citizens interested in correctly disposing of broken equipment, more than 4.4 tons of WEEE were collected on the occasion of this new service launch. This result proves that every phone call matters and every collected item contributes to pollution mitigation.
„All waste is taken to recycling plants, where it is treated according to the European environmental norms” Florin Popa concluded.
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