The Romanian Recycling Association RoRec opened the first Collection Center for waste electrical and electronic equipment at Tulcea under a major national project developed in partnership with the local authorities.
“Being the first to open the National RoRec Collection Centers Network is an honor for us, as caring for the environment is one of our priorities. Now the inhabitants of Tulcea county have a simple solution for the collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment, at European standards.”, added Constantin Hogea, Mayor of Tulcea.
The WEEE Collection Center, located on Atelierelor street, opened Friday, June 24th, in the presence of officials and media representatives.
Present at the opening, Senator Trifon Belacurencu stated: “A clean, less polluted environment is not just a necessity, but I strongly believe that every one of us can do something about it. Selective collection of waste and its recycling is a crucial step in fighting pollution. In the 21st century, innovation and adjustment are key words that, if applied today, help build tomorrow’s world.”
The environmental standards set by the European Union for the collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment in EU member states was one of the main topics of debate at the round table organized for the launch of the first RoRec WEEE Collection Center in Tulcea.
“The legislation makes it mandatory to have one WEEE collection center for every 50,000 inhabitants, but no less than one in every town. Our new project is meant to support the authorities by providing WEEE collection solutions at European standards in order to reach the quota set by the European Union, namely 4 kg of WEEE per capita, collected annually, and not least, protect the environment.”, said Liviu Popeneciu, President of the Romanian Recycling Association RoRec.
The National RoRec WEEE Collection Centers Network developed in partnership with townhalls is about creating a coherent WEEE collection infrastructure nationwide, a service for the community, a space arranged according to the European standards for the organized and entirely safe collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment, in compliance with the environmental norms.
Collecting this type of waste is vital for the environment, but also for the welfare of any community, because WEEE are ten times more toxic than household waste, having non-biodegradable components in their structure that contain harmful substances, such as mercury, nickel, lead or cadmium. In case of improper processing, WEEE have a high toxic potential both for the environment and for people and may cause allergies, sterility, heart diseases or cancer to the latter. Thus, dropping off obsolete or defective equipment at the RoRec WEEE Collection Center is the right solution compliant with the environmental norms and this waste is sent to authorized recyclers for proper treatment according to each type of equipment.
The first WEEE collection event organized at the Collection Center from Tulcea took place on June 24th and 25th. The people from Tulcea who dropped-off used or defective electrical or electronic appliances at the collection points arranged by the organizers had the possibility of signing up for a raffle with prizes offered by Whirlpool, founding member of RoRec, consisting of 10 washing machines and 10 microwave ovens, thus being rewarded for their civic, environment-friendly attitude.
The event for the launch of the first WEEE Collection Center from Tulcea under the National RoRec Collection Centers Network ended Saturday, June 25th with a Pasarea Colibri show on the stage that was set-up for the particular event in Piata Civica. The same stage was used to reward the most efficient and lucky citizens of Tulcea who brought old appliances for collection, but also the volunteer pupils who supported the organizers throughout the project conducted in Tulcea.
The WEEE Collection Center from Tulcea provides services both to the population and to companies and institutions via an "Infoline" desk open Monday through Friday, between 09:00 a.m. and 06:00 p.m. and Saturday between 09:00 a.m. and 01:00 p.m. at phone number 0745 252 949. The reception of the old equipment is done directly at the center located on Atelierelor street between 09:00 a.m. and 01:00 p.m., while heavy or large appliances can be picked up for free from home, following a request made at the infoline number. Companies and institutions can also ask for pick-ups of old equipment for scrapping, by calling the same infoline number.