RetuRO, the administrator of Romania’s Deposit Return System (DRS), the country’s largest circular economy project, announces the system’s development and results for the first half of 2026.
The collection rate for the first six months of the year reached 82%, compared with 79% during the same period last year, confirming the system’s steady progress and the integration of packaging return into consumers’ everyday behaviour.
Between January and June 2026, Romanians returned more than 2.4 billion DRS containers. Across the country, the highest numbers of containers returned during the six-month period were recorded in Bucharest, with 331.3 million containers, followed by the counties of Ilfov, with 117.0 million, Timiș, with 107.2 million, Cluj, with 101.1 million, and Constanța, with 100.4 million.
The system’s performance is also reflected in the extensive coverage achieved at national level. The collection infrastructure currently covers 92% of localities with more than 1,500 inhabitants and 74% of localities with more than 200 inhabitants, thereby facilitating consumer access to the DRS throughout the country.
Progress is also evident in recycling, the ultimate objective of the Deposit Return System. In the first half of 2026, the entire quantity of materials collected through the DRS reached recycling facilities. RetuRO delivered approximately 187,300 tonnes of materials to recyclers, 6% more than during the same period in 2025, when approximately 176,500 tonnes were delivered.
All materials collected through the Deposit Return System are sent to recycling facilities, where they are transformed into secondary raw materials and reintegrated into the economy. On average, approximately 70 truckloads of materials processed at RetuRO’s counting and sorting centres are delivered to recyclers every day.
The full results are available on the RetuRO website, in the dedicated reporting section: https://returosgr.ro/raportare.
