All producers and importers of beverages bottled in single-use packaging will be obliged to adhere to the Packaging Guarantee-Return System (PGRS), which will become mandatory nationwide starting January 1, 2027. This system will allow consumers to return empty packaging and recover the financial guarantee paid at the time of purchase.
The adoption of European directives on packaging management is not just a bureaucratic formality, but “an investment in public cleanliness and in the sustainable future of Moldova,” stated Grigore Stratulat, State Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, during a seminar dedicated to the implementation of the system in the Republic of Moldova, reports IPN.
“By aligning with EU standards, we transform waste into resources and integrate ourselves into a circular economic system that operates successfully throughout Europe,” the official further emphasized.
The system will cover a wide range of products: water, juices, soft drinks, beer, and other alcoholic beverages bottled in PET, glass, or aluminum.
Starting from January 1, 2027, beverage manufacturers and importers will be required to register with the Packaging Guarantee-Return Association, to properly mark all single-use packaging, and to periodically report the volumes introduced to the market. In addition, they will need to transfer the collected guarantees and adapt their business relationships with partners, in accordance with the new regulations.
Iuliana Cantaragiu, former Minister of Environment and consultant at Green Knowledge, stated that the implementation of this system represents “a revolutionary stage for the development of the recycling industry in Moldova”, which could become, in the future, an important pillar in the formation of the national GDP.
“Packaging will no longer be found in forests and rivers, but where they belong – in the recycling process”, she emphasized.
Experts from Romania – a country that has implemented this system – have pointed out that one of the biggest challenges was the low level of environmental education among the population, especially in rural areas, where the necessary infrastructure for separate collection was lacking. However, they believe that, with strong political support, Moldova has every chance to replicate Romania’s successful model. In the first year of operation alone, 3.5 billion packages were collected in Romania. “Today, 9 out of 10 people have participated at least once in the deposit-return system,” declared Anca Marinescu, communication manager of the Deposit-Return System RetuRO.
