From the perspective of managed volumes and overall market size, Romania’s deposit return system (DRS) is currently the third largest in the European Union, after Germany and Poland, according to data published by RetuRO.
The Romanian model is now considered the largest fully integrated deposit return system in the world. This status is driven by its centralized governance structure, a nationally standardized operational framework, and the simultaneous inclusion of three types of packaging materials: PET, metal, and glass.
Collection volumes show a sharp acceleration
In 2024, Romania collected 3.36 billion packaging units out of a total of 6.1 billion placed on the market. In the first ten months of 2025 alone, the number of returned packages reached 4.5 billion, from a total of 5.3 billion introduced into circulation, representing a 62% increase in collected volumes year-on-year.
Curierulnational.ro
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