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The Guarantee-Return System has been officially launched in Romania and will produce profound changes. New jobs will be created, the amount of packaging that ends up in landfills will decrease drastically and - perhaps most importantly - the mentality of Romanians will change, as care for the environment will gain more and more ground. The symbolic character is the 50 bani coin.

Step by step, the change will make its way into consumption and packaging habits, drinks with the SGR symbol, Packaging with Guarantee, will appear on store shelves. Why? Because the Guarantee-Return System (SGR) was officially launched in Romania, through which Romanians will pay a guarantee of 50 banis every time they buy any drink (water, soft drinks, beer, cider, wine, spirits) from a merchant. The system applies to non-reusable primary packaging made of glass, plastic or metal, with volumes between 0.1 l and 3 l inclusive. To be easily identified, the products that will be part of the system will be marked with the symbol Packaging with guarantee.

After emptying the packaging, the customer will have to bring it to one of the return points organized by merchants, practically in any store in Romania, and in exchange for the empty packaging, he will receive back, on the spot, the amount of the guarantee initially paid, without being presentation of the tax receipt is required, even if the respective product was not purchased from that place.

The Packaging with Guarantee symbol will be found on the products that are part of SGR, which will gradually arrive on store shelves, over a period of several months, depending on the stocks of products in non-SGR packaging existing in the market. "We recommend all Romanians to carefully look for the Packaging with Guarantee mark because only these will be accepted at the SGR return points. The rest of the packaging, non SGR, will not be accepted at the return points, as they are not marked with the logo that certifies that they carry a guarantee", declare the representatives of RetuRO, which administers the Guarantee-Return System in Romania. Non-SGR packaging will continue to be able to be returned through the classic selective collection method, used until now for the recovery of all types of packaging, at traditional collection points. The labeling and introduction of new SGR packaging stocks to the market will be a gradual process, as the year 2024 will include a transition period for existing stocks.

However, the packaging bearing the guarantee must be intact, not degraded and not deformed when returned, that is, not broken, flattened or pressed, so that they can be scanned according to shape and size by automatic collection machines or counting and sorting equipment. In addition, containers must be emptied, but do not need to be washed. "Any amount of liquid that remains in these containers affects their weight and there is a possibility that they will be rejected by the automatic equipment when they are scanned and weighed. Of course, there is a margin of weight, but it is recommended that the beverage packaging be completely emptied, in order to be sure of the recovery of the warranty", RetuRO representatives explain. The label must be visible and intact because it will have the SGR symbol and the specific barcode printed on it. In the absence of these identification elements, the packages do not benefit from the guarantee and cannot be taken over by the Guarantee-Return System. In other words, only for packaging that meets these criteria can the guarantee of 50 money be recovered.

How will the collection of SGR packaging be carried out? There are two variants. On the one hand, through manual collection - the SGR packaging is picked up manually, the guarantee value is returned to consumers or end users, in cash, by voucher or by bank transfer. The bank transfer will be carried out at the request of the consumer only with the agreement of the merchant and with the bearing of bank commissions by the applicant.

The second option is through automatic collection - the SGR packages are picked up by automatic collection equipment, the guarantee value is returned to consumers or end users either by voucher that they, within the same trader who operates the automatic collection equipment, can exchange for cash or they can use it when making purchases, within a maximum of 12 months from the issuance of the voucher, either by bank transfer. The bank transfer will be carried out at the request of the consumer only with the agreement of the merchant and with the bearing of bank commissions by the applicant.

What will we gain from the Guarantee-Return System? "The largest circular economy project in Romania will make the country greener, cleaner and more responsible. We aim to recover approximately 7 billion pieces of packaging from the market every year. The project will transform the recycling behavior of the 19 million Romanians", say RetuRO representatives. Thus, another effect that the SGR will produce is the protection of the environment, the packaging collected through the SGR being redirected from the landfill or from nature.

Last but not least, SGR will produce new jobs. "Our goal is to reach the threshold of 600 employees by the end of next year. Of these, at least 500 will carry out their activity in the work points that will be opened throughout the country", according to RetuRO representatives.

Source: https://www.businessmagazin.ro/actualitate/moneda-de-50-de-bani-va-schimba-intreaga-tara-22207487