Romania opens first large voluntary waste collection center in Cluj-Napoca

Romania inaugurated its first large voluntary waste collection center in Cluj-Napoca, marking the start of a national network of 13 such facilities financed through the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The new center is designed to help residents dispose of bulky and special waste that cannot be collected through regular household waste collection services.

The Environment Ministry said the project received more than RON 32.6 million in non-repayable European funding through the PNRR.

Covering 1.4 hectares, the facility includes dedicated collection platforms and containers, a chemical analysis laboratory, administrative buildings, a refrigerated storage room for animal carcasses, and a heavy-duty weighbridge to monitor waste flows.

The center accepts a wide range of waste, including bulky household items such as furniture and mattresses, construction and demolition waste, used tires, waste electrical and electronic equipment, textiles, wood waste, recyclable materials, biodegradable waste, and other waste streams that cannot be collected through the standard door-to-door system.

“This center addresses exactly the problems that have frustrated citizens for years. Where do we dispose of an old mattress, used tires, construction debris, furniture or a broken refrigerator? From today, the people of Cluj have a clear, modern and civilized solution," interim environment minister Diana Buzoianu said.

She added that hundreds of smaller voluntary collection centers are expected to be completed across Romania in the coming months through the PNRR, saying the country is taking "a major step toward the European circular economy model, where waste becomes a resource.”

According to the ministry, the Cluj-Napoca facility is the first of 13 large voluntary collection centers planned nationwide. Similar projects are scheduled for cities including Craiova, Buzău, Brașov, Constanța, Iași, Bucharest, and Sibiu.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Ministerul Mediului - România) ...