Romania throws at the garbage dump 85% of what is collected from the population instead of recycling over 50% of waste, the target assumed for 2020, as the selective collection, recycling and waste management have been treated superficially for many years, writes on his Facebook page, the Minister of the Environment, Water and Forests, Costel Alexe.

“For many years selective collection, recycling and waste management have been treated superficially and we are in the situation where, instead of recycling over 50% of waste, the target assumed for 2020, we have to throw to the garbage dump 85% of what is collected from the population.

Authorities have ignored the European public agenda, many economic operators have preferred to increase their profits instead of redirecting them to investments in new technologies, and the population was less informed and did not realize the importance and the benefits of environmentally, financially and sanitary selective collection! Today, in a crisis situation, when the coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc in all countries, we are aware of the importance of a healthy chain in waste management, from collection to treatment and recycling, because properly treated waste is a true nursery for viruses, microbes, bacteria,” Alexe noted, according to Agerpres.

The Minister of the Environment wrote that he paid a working visit to Buzau, at the largest recycler in the country, Green Group Romania, which suffers from the lack of domestic raw material, being forced to import used PET recipients from Italy, Spain, Greece, the Great Britain or even Australia.