15 years for a clean environment!

de | April. 13, 2021 | Articles, News

ECOTIC celebrates 15 years of activity

The accession to the European Union meant for Romania also the drawing up of some objectives and strategies regarding the waste management of electrical and electronic equipment. Since then and until now, Romania's goals have progressed since 4 kg per capita, at 40% and 45% of the average equipment placed on the market 3 previous years up to 65% in 2021, the current national target.

The first step that the environmental authority applied after the first European WEEE Directive in Romania was the implementation of a legislative framework, which would allow producers to place electrical and electronic equipment on the market. to be organized within responsibility transfer organizations (TROs). The role of the OTRs has been and continues to be to ensure that the collection targets of affiliated producers and distributors are met.

On April 12, 2006, came into being ECOTIC, the first organization of this type in Romania. ECOTIC was the one that introduced in 2007, for the first time on the Romanian market, Green® Stamp, a symbol that over time has become, for consumers, a guarantee of electrical waste management.

In the 15 years of activity ECOTIC has reached the largest quantity collected on the market, over 200 tons of electrical waste. This has been made possible by sustained actions aimed at promoting quality in WEEE recycling through the implementation of European standards (Weeelabex - CENELEC). The fish 8600 collection points nationwide, as well as those over 400 information campaigns is an important vector in the development of the collection and awareness system. The emblematic ECOTIC campaigns are: ECOTIC Caravan, project awarded at European level with distinction "Best Environment LIFE Project", as well as the national information campaign "Be with you in the country as well as abroad!" whose message reached over 13 million Romanians. "Clean Environment Awards Gala" is another project that encouraged in the 12 editions its development of initiatives aimed at protecting the environment. Another achievement is construction Iasi Municipal Collection Center, an example of good practice at national level.

Supporting the preparation for reuse of equipment is an extremely important topic at European level which is supported by ECOTIC at national level through partnership with Borderless Workshops, social workshop for professional insertion that prepares for reuse IT equipment to be later donated to people from disadvantaged backgrounds. In this regard, ECOTIC contributed together with ASRO and CERC to transposition into Romanian of the requirements regarding the preparation for reuse of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

ECOTIC is the organization that involves both nationally and internationally in initiatives and projects that add value to the field, as well as solutions available to citizens.

Involvement in the activities of the organization WEEE Forum, the development of market studies (The study WEEE Flows 2020 - carried out by UNITAR for the WEEE Forum, market studies at national level in collaboration with SOFIES), International Day for the Recycling of Electrical Waste (October 14), as well as the development of the telephone assistance service for the delivery for recycling of electrical waste -  021 9641 -  are examples of initiatives that actively contribute to accelerating the progress that Romania needs in terms of separate collection, recycling, treatment and recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Below we will present an article for each achievement of ECOTIC in the 15 years of activity.

  1. 2006: ECOTIC, the first responsibility transfer organization for Romanian electrical and electronic equipment manufacturers, is established
  2. ECOTIC: over 200 tonnes of managed waste 
  3. Green Stamp - contribution to WEEE management
  4. ECOTIC infrastructure at national level: 9000 collection points for electrical waste and batteries
  5. ECOTIC for 15 years a reliable partner of affiliated manufacturers
  6. ECOTIC Caravan - the only mobile museum of electrical waste in Romania 
  7. 021 9641 - one of the ECOTIC ways to inform the population
  8. CMCI - a collection center at European standards
  9. Clean Environment Awards Gala - ECOTIC tradition event 
  10. 13 million people touched by the message "Be in your country as well as abroad!"
  11. WEEE Forum and WEEELABEX in the ECOTIC vision
  12. Electrical equipment reuse campaigns and donations 
  13. ECOTIC studies
  14. Awareness and information campaigns in schools
  15. The ECOTIC team