Romania is working to increase recycling rates for single-use beverage packaging, and so national legislation was adopted in 2021 creating the framework for a national deposit system.

RetuRO was appointed by the Romanian Government to manage this deposit-return system, and was set up and operates using private financing. Shares in the company are held as follows: Romanian Brewers’ Association for Environment (30%), the Soft Drinks Producers’ Association for Sustainability (30%), the Retailers’ Association for Environment (20%), and the Romanian state, represented by the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests (20%). 

This system is Romania's largest circular economy project: it began on 30 November 2023 and is transforming the way that beverage packaging is collected and recycled. Plastic, metal and glass packaging is collected and sent for recycling, with any profits ploughed back into system development.   

It's a straightforward system: when you buy an unreusable bottle containing 0.1 to 3 litres of soft drink or alcoholic beverage, you pay a deposit of 0.50 RON (10 euro cents) for each bottle included in the scheme. You get the deposit back when you take the packaging to a collection point set up by a retailer which is registered in the system. The bottle may be taken to a reverse vending machine operated by the retailer or manually, at the counter. The packaging is collected and sorted and sent for recycling.

Packaging must be empty, in good condition and not crushed/broken to be accepted. Eligible packaging is identified by a barcode and the logo: SGR „Ambalaj cu garanție”.