Recolamp collected 647 tons of lighting waste in 2015, representing 80% of the collection performance of Romania, said Roxana Sunica, marketing manager, Recolamp, at a Govnet event.

“Romania does not collect sufficient lighting waste. The collection should be 90% higher. Many companies do not collect waste,” said Sunica.

The collection target companies for 2016 is of 40% of the average sales of the last three years, and starting 2017, the Environmental Fund Administration will impose fines and penalties of 40-50,000 lei and an additional 20 lei per kg of uncollected materials, explained she.

The lighting market has undergone major changes, replacing the older, classic segment of fluorescent lamps, with the LED segment. Yet, with the life of LED products exceeding 10 years, only 1% of waste belongs to this segment, and manufacturers risk not achieving the target of collecting 40% of the average past three years due to the increasing LED segment.

“The law was changed, the AFM will apply sanctions by next year. Companies must change their collection policies,” said Sunica.

Autor: Bogdan Tudorache

Active in the economic and business press for the past 26 years, Bogdan graduated Law and then attended intensive courses in Economics and Business English. He went up to the position of editor-in-chief since 2006 and has provided management and editorial policy for numerous economic publications dedicated especially to the community of foreign investors in Romania. From 2003 to 2013 he was active mainly in the financial-banking sector. He started freelancing for Energynomics in 2013, notable for his advanced knowledge of markets, business communities and a mature editorial style, both in Romanian and English.