Romania’s recycling rate stood at 82% for the first six months of the year, up from 79% for the same period last year.
RetuRO, which runs the scheme says the results confirm its success and says recycling has become part of Romanians’ everyday behavior.
A press release from the Guarantee-Return System said a total of 2.4 billion bottles and cand had been recycled between January and June 2026.
Regionally, Bucharest headed the list with 331.3 million items returned followed by Ilfov, the county next to the capital with 117 million and then Timiș county, 107.2 million, Cluj 101.1 million and Constanta, 100.4 million, all counties with major cities.
“The system’s performance is reflected in the extensive national coverage. (Our) collection infrastructure covers 92% of places with more than 1,500 residents and 74% of localities with over 200 inhabitants, “ the release said.
Progress is also visible in terms of actual recycling which is the ultimate goal of the Guarantee-Return System.
In the first half of 2026, from the entire amount of materials collected at recycling stations. RetuRO handed over about 187,300 tons of materials to recyclers, 6% more than in the same period in 2025, when about 176,500 tons were handed over.
All materials collected through the Guarantee-Return System should go torecycling facilities, where they are transformed into secondary raw materials and reintegrated into the economy.
On average, about 70 trucks with processed materials are delivered daily to recyclers in RetuRO counting and sorting centers.
RetuRO Return Guarantee System is a company that operates on the principle of not for profit – which means that any profit made by the company from the collection of beverage packaging will be reinvested in developing recycling capacity,
The company was created by a consortium of three private shareholders: the Association of Brewers of Romania for the Environment (30%), the Association of Producers of Soft Drinks for Sustainability (30%) and the Association of Retailers for the Environment (20%) and a public shareholder, the Romanian state, through the central environmental authority, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests (20%).
RetuRO, which manages SGR, operates on private financing and has the role of ensuring transparency on the quantities of beverage packaging placed on the market and returned by consumers which contributed to Romania’s sustainable development, through the responsible management of packaging waste, in order to achieve the recycling targets imposed on Romania by the European Union, the statement said.
