Many of the plastic products placed on the market, even when they are collected separately and arrive at the sorting station, cannot be recycled, Aurelia Bahnaru, administrator of the NGO “E-Circular Training and Consulting Center”, told IPN . The first study on the management of plastic waste in Moldova, presented by Aurelia Bahnaru, shows that clear bans are needed on the import of plastic products that cannot be recycled. It is necessary to promote reusable packaging as much as possible among consumers and to improve the extended producer responsibility mechanism.
Called “Zero Plastic”, the study is part of the “Plastic Waste in the Circular Economy: Community Solution” project. The author says that a major obstacle to the development of waste collection infrastructure, including plastic packaging, is the lack of spaces for separate collection points or centers for collecting recyclable waste. It should be required by law that local waste management plans are harmonized with the territorial development plans, with the allocation of the areas necessary for the successful implementation of the local plan.
According to the study, in the last five years, the state budget received 1.15 billion lei in taxes for environmental pollution related to plastic materials. Aurelia Bahnaru notes that the amount cannot be related to any of the activities to improve the waste management sector.
In 2022, 97.2 thousand tons of plastic materials were imported, while 16 thousand tons were exported. During the last 10 analyzed years, the amount of plastic materials in the country has registered a constant increase, on average by 4% annually.
In Moldova there are 388 companies whose activity is the manufacture of plastic products. The largest share is held by companies that manufacture articles from plastic materials for construction - 269 companies or 69% of the. Most of the plastic material manufacturers operate in Chisinau – 202 producers (52%). There are 25 producers in the municipality of Balti. In 2021 alone, 18 thousand tons of plastic materials were manufactured in Moldova.
Aurelia Bahnaru says that each Modovan generates an estimated 406 kilograms of waste per year (year 2021), of which 45 kilograms are plastic waste. The average recycling rate of plastic waste for the last 3 years is 7%.