RoRec, the Romanian Recycling Association, collected over one million kilograms of waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) in 2011 during the “Waste doesn’t belong at home. Take it for a hike!” campaign
Launched in 2010, the RoRec Association’s campaign was resumed this year, with a first event organized in Resita on March 19th. The last 2011 events took place on December 10th in the counties of Bihor, Brasov and Hunedoara. Throughout the two years when WEEE collection events were organized, more than 65,000 citizens from over 600 localities brought 1,280 tons of WEEE of which 1,034.5 this year.
In 2011, the RoRec Association continued the waste electric equipment collection program in partnership with the townhalls, covering 560 localities from 39 counties. Thus, 244 collection events were organized within nearly nine months (March – December), namely an average of 25 events per month. More than 60,000 participating citizens decided that waste doesn’t belong in their homes and sent it for a hike… to recycling.
Two special campaigns were organized in districts 4 and 6 of the Capital. The City Hall of district 4 was the first one to say “yes” to a special project carried out over a 12-week period and offering collection services at home as a priority. In district 6, another special project developed in October included also Analia Selis, RoRec ambassador, who managed to persuade over 1,000 citizens to get rid of almost 24 tons of waste!
Whenever we talk about results, we have to recognize the leaders. Based on the collected WEEE quantity, Timis county ranks first, with an average of 11.3 tons per event. The county capitals with the largest quantities of waste are Timisoara – 36.9 tons, Brasov – 35.6, Sibiu – 27.3, Resita – 23.5, Bistrita – 22.8, Braila 22.7, Botosani – 16.3.
The maximum quantity of waste collected per participating citizens was recorded in the Mures county, in Solovastru and amounted to 46 kg of WEEE!
Talking about figures, it’s interesting to note that the average quantity of collected waste per event was 4.4 tons of WEEE, while the average quantity collected per participating citizen amounts to 19 kilograms. This is an impressive figure, considering the country target of 4 kilograms per capita, per year. However, if we compare it to the targeted population from the 560 localities, the average per inhabitant is only… 200 grams.
What does this tell us? That we are lacking a coherent collection infrastructure and a normative framework harmonized with the targets set by the relevant European directives.
Because, as Mr. Marius Costache, General Manager of Green Weee Romania, said at the round table on “Issues of transposing the European directives on waste electric equipment in the national law. Impact on society and business environment”, organized by the Commission for Public Administration, Land Development and Environmental Protection from the Senate of Romania – “the lack of correct collection systems encourages the parallel collection of waste electric and electronic equipment, as well as metal waste; large quantities thereof remain unreported to the environmental authority. This is the main reason why the national target of 4kg/capita/year, as well as the collection quotas set for the producers and provided for in Government Decision no. 1037/2010 cannot be met.”
In addition, Mr. Liviu Popeneciu, President of RoRec, states: “Our industry’s concerns worsen increasingly and the recent trends confirm them, unfortunately: collection levels declined for a second year in a row, illegal treatments are a serious threat to the environment, compliant recycling capacities remain chronically under-occupied. The business environment is deterred, a new exit of foreign capital from this sector is about to take place. The industry is threatened by huge burdens of new taxes, increased financial contributions lie in store for citizens. Of course, we are pleased by the results of the 2011 campaign, but they mainly motivate us to continue and expand the activities dedicated to creating correct waste management systems, as well as our efforts intended to bring Romania in line with the European legislation.”, continued Liviu Popeneciu, President of the Romanian Recycling Association RoRec.
At a closer look, we realize that waste electric and electronic equipment collection accounts for a strategic field at European level, as electric and electronic equipment contain hazardous elements that, if properly recycled, can be either disposed of without polluting or reused as secondary raw materials in the relevant industry. A refrigerator more than ten-year old contains Freon, a gas that destroys the ozone layer when released in the atmosphere. Batteries and accumulators contain substances that, when released into the soil, may cause poisoning, translated into allergies, sterility, memory losses, heart diseases, cancer. Once Mercury, Cadmium, Lithium and Lead from batteries get into the soil, they will inevitably end up in our food.
But let’s not forget that waste electric and electronic equipment contains important fractions that, if properly collected and recycled, become valuable raw materials in the relevant industry. Strategies that talk about “a recycling society” are now being drafted at European level. Why? Because from now on, the “driver” for state-of-the-art electronic technologies consists of critical materials like Galium, Indium, Germanium, Tantalum that can be found in limited quantities in nature. So, in order to overcome this limitation, HiTech producers already focus on electronic waste, as it becomes an alternative source which is even more attractive as treatment and recycling technologies manage to “extract” more “secondary raw materials”.
And Romania cannot keep outside this system; it has to find the mechanisms that boost the WEEE collection rate which is totally unsatisfactory at the moment, ranging only between 1-1.5 kilograms/year/capita.
“The support and inquiries of over 10,000 friends following us on our Facebook accounts (AsociatiaRoRec and patruladereciclare) confirm the need to expand our efforts for the correct collection of this waste and we promise not to disappoint them.”, concluded Andreea Idriceanu, Communication Manager of the RoRec Association.