2 April 2025

Romania’s Glass Collection System: Impact of Crushing | Constantin Damov, GreenGroup Romania

Constantin Damov highlighted Romania’s dramatic shift in glass waste collection, improving from a low recycling rate to a government-driven Deposit Return System (DRS). The system, launched in late 2023 covers the entire country, collecting glass through both automated reverse vending machines (RVMs) and manual methods.

In just over a year, the DRS has achieved a 90% collection rate, significantly reducing the burden on municipalities. The system includes glass bottles of various types, including beer, water, soft drinks, wines, and spirits, which initially caused concerns among producers. Glass crushing is essential for fraud prevention and transport efficiency, though it results in 2-5% material loss, particularly with smaller bottles. Additionally, the “fresh label effect” has led to an 8-10% rejection rate due to difficulty in removing labels. Tests show that glass collected through DRS is of higher purity, with lower contamination and energy savings in drying and filtering processes. However, crushed glass, despite its benefits in transport, leads to higher losses and lower yield compared to uncrushed glass. The findings emphasize that while the system has improved glass recycling, further adjustments are needed to address collection losses and material reprocessing challenges.

 

Watch Constantin’s presentation here:

 

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