The amount of electrical and electronic waste (WEEE) collected in 2020, on behalf of Ecotic producers, amounted to 32,753 tons, the equivalent of a collection rate of 47%, according to Ecotic data published on its website.
According to the centralized results, in the case of accumulator and battery waste (DBA), the quantity collected last year reached 750 tons, which represents a collection rate of 46.6%.
“The volume of WEEE collected last year contributed to reaching the quota of 200,000 tons collected by Ecotic since the beginning of the activity, the largest quantity collected by an organization of producers in Romania. Regarding the promotion and awareness activities, we have adapted quickly to the new realities focusing on online activities both for producers and partners, as well as for the general public,” says Valentin Negoiţă, the president of Ecotic, according to Agerpres.
An awareness action carried out by the Ecotic representatives is the campaign “Be at home in the country as well as abroad!” which took place on several TV channels, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedlN. Thus, the message and collection solutions proposed by Ecotic and the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests (MMAP) reached over 13 million Romanians.
Also, an important moment was the launch in October 2020 of the unique number 021 9641, where Romanian citizens can find the best solutions for handing over electrical waste and batteries, including through the network of over 8,600 collection points of Ecotic and Ecotic Bat.
“The year 2020 also meant time for analysis and reflection. Thus, the WEEE Forum organization, of which we are part, carried out together with UNITAR the WEEE Flows 2020 study, which analyzes WEEE flows internationally. It identifies the existing situation in European countries, including in Romania, the problems we all face in achieving collection targets and makes recommendations for improving WEEE collection. The good results of last year, achieved through constant collaboration with producers, retailers, collection and recycling partners and environmental authorities, is an important milestone and impetus for achieving even more ambitious goals in 2021, with the transition to the 65% collection target,” says Negoiţă.
According to the organization, reaching the 45% target was, in 2020, the main goal of Ecotic, for which considerable efforts have been made.
“Romania’s entry into the state of emergency in March resulted in the cessation of campaigns, the suspension of the activity of about 50% of collectors and the low-capacity operation of others. Despite these restrictions, Ecotic was supporting producers and the general public through actions. 2020 was also a year of preparing the context for increasing the collection target from 45% to 65% starting with 2021. The development of home WEEE collection services continued this year as well, with the addition of new cities to the existing ones,” says Ecotic.
At the level of 2020, the system of electronic waste collection points increased despite the sanitary crisis, with 475 new points open throughout the country.
