Romania Reaches 94% Recycling Rate for Beverage Containers
In under two years, Romania has shocked the world by completely transforming its nation into one of the global leaders in beverage container recycling. This effort is thanks to their Deposit-Return-System, also called a DRS, that they launched in November of 2023. Romania’s return rate for bottles and cans is now close to 94%, which is one of the highest in the world.
For many years, Romania has lagged behind many of the other European countries in recycling. Before the introduction of the DRS, their overall recycling rates were extremely low, around 12-13%, often reporting some of the lowest reuse and recycling levels in the entirety of the European Union.
That changed when the nationwide deposit-return scheme was implemented. Under this system, the consumers pay a small deposit when buying beverages, about 0.50 Romanian lei, or about 12 cents in the United States. When they return the product container, their money gets returned to them, along with a few extra cents, which proved to be enough to motivate citizens to return their containers instead of throwing them away.
“I believe it can be effective in the long-term, because when people have something that motivates them, like gaining a few extra cents, they tend to go a little out of their way to do something, especially because that money can add up. Even though it’s a little forced, I think it’s for a good reason. It’s a small thing that can go a long way for the planet,” said sophomore Nayeli Rivero.
This initiative has driven mass participation from Romanian residents. From the launch of the system to the end of September 2025, they’ve returned approximately 7.5 billion beverage containers, including plastic bottles, metal cans, and glass. This amounts to over 550 thousand tons of recyclables, which are redirected back to factories and recycling centers.
What sets Romania’s efforts apart from the others is the reach and scale of the whole operation. The program, which is managed by RetuRo, is structured as a nationwide private-public partnership between the Romanian government and beverage companies, which was designed to cover the entire country.
One of the key factors resulting in their success has been the public engagement, such as financial gain, and awareness of the topic. Surveys, such as the Every Can Counts Global Survey 2025, show that about 90% of Romanians regularly participate in the DRS.
Consumers have additionally found economic motivation in the operation. In small towns, the collection and return of the bottles and cans have provided a small form of income for some. One woman named Dana Chitucescu from Pianu de Jos managed to buy food for her cats for the week by gathering a sack of returnable containers from her household and neighbors.
Their new 94% return rate for beverage containers has been called extraordinary by many, as it now places the nation alongside long-established recycling systems, like those stationed in Scandinavia.
Experts, however, continue to emphasize the importance of striding forward and continuing to improve, as the 94% applies specifically to beverage packaging covered by the DRS, only representing a small fraction of the total waste, which still remains a challenge for Romania.
Expanding their reach to include more types of packaging remains a long ongoing discussion, as Romanian officials continue to look into ways to deepen the country’s gains and meet bigger waste-management goals.
While it is limited to beverage containers, the achievement demonstrates great potential for a system that turns the tide for Romanian recycling. Their success has attracted international attention for their incentives and has even inspired other countries to follow in their steps.
“I think this is an effective policy that should be implemented in other countries. It is important that we take a stand to decrease the amount of trash we have on our planet, and this can surely be the action that inspires it,” said sophomore Sophia Rueda.
Other nations, such as Austria, Poland, Portugal, England, Greece, and Spain, have been planning similar systems, aiming to replicate Romania’s success. However, the growing support for the operation has people hoping that many other countries, including the United States, will consider taking the leap into a cleaner environment.
