Rubbing alcohol, distilled water and 5-litre PET bottles should be urgently introduced into the SGR deposit-refund system for its improved functioning, says deputy chairman of the National Association of Romania's Small and Medium Traders (ANCMM) Feliciu Paraschiv.
"I admit that at first we were a little opposed to the system, because we knew that something very difficult was going to come, but we got used to it and I think it can't be done without. I think that there is no longer a serious trader with plans for the future who refuses to integrate or who does not want to participate in the system, which is why we were really thinking about the last discussions we had within the association, about what we could do to improve the functioning of the system. We concluded that there should be an urgent introduction of rubbing alcohol, distilled water PET bottles, which are clean packaging, and we do not understand why they are not in the system. I believe that this can be done under a ministerial order, very simple, leaving a period of grace. Then, I didn't understand why the 5-litre packages are left to chance. Maybe we should find an option to manual collection to be received (...) There are things that can be improved and that we try to do better. There are things that RetuRo must also improve and here I am referring to the frequency of collection. We still have to work on the collection triggers. An automatic trigger is tried through which the collector automatically comes to a supermarket, to pick up the bags with packaging, but it does not always manage to accurately point out the needs of the trader," the ANCMM official told "SGR in Romania" conference on Thursday.
In Paraschiv's opinion, retailers are doing their job very well if RetuRo is satisfied and claims that the figures look very good.
"I would like to tell you from the beginning that the SGR is a system consisting of three components. One component is RetuRo, where RetuRo does a job and receives some money. That's what it's paid for. The second component is the producers who pay for this system, and if the system had not existed, they would have paid even more. And the third component are the retailers who a year and a half ago had no business, who had no obligation and now have to do all the work without being paid. And when I say without being paid I mean the fact that the handling that everyone knows, is a tax that must only cover the costs. That is, we have to carry out a voluntary operation without any profit... If RetuRo is satisfied and the figures are very good, it means that we are doing our job very well."
PRIAevents organised on Thursday the PRIA Environment conference on SGR in Romania, during which representatives of RetuRO, producers, retailers, associations, environmental companies, administrative-territorial units and central authorities debated.