Total waste generation

The amount of waste generated showed a downward trend, from 177Mt in 2016 to 141Mt in 2020, or 7.3t per inhabitant. However, the latest data show an increase again, of 1.1t per inhabitant in 2022 compared with 2020, Romania is on track to reduce total waste generation by 2030. The total amount of household waste collected, however, increased to 4.8Mt in 2020, up from 3.8Mt in 2016. In 2020, recycling rates were 39.9% for packaging waste and 11.9% for municipal waste.

The 2030 targets for Romania’s sustainable development strategy establish the following waste recycling thresholds: 70% for packaging waste and 60% for municipal waste.

Starting in 2021, part of the municipal waste from sorting facilities, which is not suitable for recycling or energy recovery, is now incinerated. At the end of 2021, 48 compliant landfills for municipal waste and 1 facility for municipal waste incineration were authorised and operational.

The Romanian government allocated EUR 1,239 billion for the construction of 565 waste collection centres for small and medium-sized communities, along with 15 integrated waste collection centres. Around residential buildings, 13,752 ecological islands are to be set up for the .

In an effort to reduce food waste, 20 recipient operators of food donations, complying with the regulations related to the safety of foodstuffs, were recorded in 2021, which are examples of .