Business entities last year collected 298 tonnes of electrical and electronic waste, by 100 tonnes more than in 2017. About one third of this waste was exported to Romania for recycling. In a response to IPN Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment said the authorized business entities and some of the NGOs set up 150 points for collecting electronic waste, 140 of which in Chisinau municipality.

Ion German, senior consultant at the Ministry’s Waste and Chemicals Management Policy Division, said the citizens can find the collection points in the main household appliances stores and inside some of the public institutions. These are situated in visible places, at the entrance to the building. Since December 2018, under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, the Association for Waste Development has worked with a number of business entities and with the administration of particular public institutions in Chisinau on setting up waste collection points.

The regulations concerning waste equipment took effect on September 23 last year. When purchasing new equipment, the buyer can ask the company to take gratis the old equipment, but this should be similar to the new equipment. The companies that sell electrical and electronic equipment and have selling areas larger than 200 m2 must take free the small-sized electronic waste from any owner without obliging this to purchase a similar product instead. The State Ecological Inspectorate will monitor the situation and will penalize the business entities that refuse to take electronic waste from citizens. The Inspectorate is now working on the procedure that will be applied.

Aurelia Bahnaru, of the Association for Waste Development, said 40 collection points of the 80 planned have been created at a number of public institutions in Chisinau since last December. When the process is completed, a map of collection points will be posted on managementuldeseurilormd.com .