“The Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests, through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, on the waste component, has substantial funds to encourage the circular economy and the establishment of collection centers with voluntary contributions, digitalized ecological islands and recycling factories,” Cristian Valer Beseni, Secretary of State, Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests said at Circular Economy Conference organized by The Diplomat-Bucharest and Sustainability-Today.

Key statements:

• We will finance 26 factories. There is demand on the market and we think that in the future, through the Environmental Fund Administration, we will be able to finance such projects. We will evaluate these projects, after which we will announce the winners and then the implementation part will follow.
• The entities that have submitted applications for this funding program are on schedule. It is clear that the deadline (June 2026) when the PNRR ends is tight, but I am firmly convinced that through collaboration with the private sector we will get where we want to go.
• We are thinking of funding the management of textile waste in the future. Through the voluntary collection centers, which will be over 500 in Romania, we will be able to take over more types of waste, and some materials will be able to be reused, so we will also contribute to the circular economy.
• We want to implement the pay as you throw (PAYT) principle, a usage-pricing model for disposing of municipal solid waste. Users are charged a rate based on how much waste they present for collection to the municipality or local authority.
• We must collaborate to have a society in which we can all live in harmony, to enjoy a clean environment. We are happy for the success of the deposit-return system, and the over 3.3 billion packages collected between December 2023 and December 2024 represent a significant achievement.
• Education must start in the family. We must teach our children to adopt responsible behavior, teach them to collect selectively and achieve the objectives that we all want.