The Governor of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, Bogdan Bulete, maintains that the Delta is cleaner in recent years, both because of the fines, the minimum amount of which is 5,000 RON, the return guarantee system, but also because of the campaigns to raise awareness among the population and tourists about the need to protect the environment, informs Agerpres.
At the same time, Ionut Tudorache, the general director of the county's sole sanitation operator, said that the amount of recyclable waste collected from the Danube Delta localities in the 2020-2023 period increased by 42.71%.
The RBDD Governor, Bogdan Bulete, told AGERPRES that the institution he represents concluded contracts in August for the greening of the beaches in the perimeter of the Reserve, and environmental agents carry out monthly actions to clean the areas.
"Inside the Delta, we have noticed a reduction in the amount of PET plastic bottles, given these are the most visible. If five or six years ago walking towards Mila 23, on route 1, for example, I used to see a lot of PET plastic bottles in the water, in the reeds, now I don't have the same feeling, I am telling you with some relief. We are no longer under pressure, and in principle tourists have understood that these plastic bottles should be relocated to the garbage bins inside the localities," said the RBDD governor.
According to the source, the situation could be explained both by the return guarantee system and by the high amount of fines imposed for dumping waste in areas other than those specially designed.
In his turn, the director of the sole sanitation operator in Tulcea County, Ionut Tudorache, said that in recent years the total amount of waste collected in the localities of the Delta has increased from 3,420.45 tonnes in 2020 to 3,722.5 tonnes in 2023, part of this waste being recyclable.
The representative of the county's single sanitation operator explained the situation by the awareness-raising campaigns carried out both among the local population and tourists.
In 2022, by Government Decision No. 1.194, the amount of fines applied on the territory of the RBDD was modified, so that now the dumping, scattering on land or unauthorized disposal of waste in unauthorized places is punishable by a fine of 5,000 RON to 10,000 RON for individuals and 25,000 RON to 50,000 RON for legal entities.