Eastern Europe's recycling success story

As the EU intensifies efforts to meet its Green Deal and circular-economy targets, an unexpected regional leader has emerged in the race to reduce packaging waste. Eastern Europe—long seen as lagging behind Western member states—is now delivering some of the bloc’s most impressive recycling results, writes Cristian Gherasim.

One major development transformed the way Eastern Europe handles its beverage packaging waste waste – the deposit return scheme (DRS), and one country in particular is making quite a buzz. Since its launch in November 2023 to date, Romanians have returned and recycled more than 8 billion beverage containers.

The system operates on a simple model: a small deposit - usually around 0.50 RON (10 EUR cents) per bottle - is added to the price of each bottled beverage. Consumers return their empty containers through reverse vending machines or manual points at stores. Collected items are then transported to nine regional counting and sorting centers, ensuring digital traceability and high-quality recycling outputs, according to the program set in place by RetuRO Deposit-Return System.

According to data put out by RetuRO right at the European Parliament this week, the Deposit-Return System (DRS) has made quite a dent in how Romania tackled its recycling woes. The Eastern European nation collected more than 550.000 tons of recyclable beverage packaging waste over the past 2 years, injecting roughly 500 million EUR back into the economy. The shift to a more circular economy generated over 2000 direct and related jobs and saved municipalities hundreds of million in waste management. Discussions at the European Parliament highlighted key conclusions from Romania’s DRS experience. Its rapid rollout and strong environmental and economic results show how ambition, clear policy, and collaboration can transform recycling at scale. Lessons shared at the event underscore the importance of policy coherence, cross-border cooperation, and alignment with EU circular economy goals. Romania’s success demonstrates that well-designed DRS can not only boost recycling rates but also create jobs, reduce emissions, and inspire a more resource-efficient Europe.

The environmental impact is quite considerable as well. Recycling through the deposit return scheme (DRS) helped reduce hundreds of thousands of tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions—the same impact as planting between 10 and 22 million trees. In total, the system has prevented around 310,000 tons of CO₂ from being released into the atmosphere. Peak months have even surpassed a 104% collection rate, making the Romanian DRS one of Eastern Europe’s most successful beverage packaging collection systems.

Romania is not alone in pushing the envelope when it comes to packaging recycling. Lithuania is another success story from Eastern Europe. The system in Lithuania has achieved remarkable success. Recent data shows that approximately 92% of beverage containers sold under the scheme are returned annually. In 2022 alone, over 672 million deposit-packaging units were returned. This massive volume translates to significant environmental benefits, including reduced litter, lower demand for virgin materials, and decreased CO₂ emissions. Public surveys indicate that a majority of Lithuanians perceive the system as both useful and effective in reducing litter in parks and public spaces. Managed by Užstato Sistemos Administratorius (USAD), has become another leading example of effective recycling in Europe alongside the RetuRO Deposit-Return System in Romania.

Poland is newer to the recycling game but with very promising results. Poland has recently introduced – as of October 2025- its own deposit-return system for single-use beverage containers, aiming to replicate the success seen in places like Romania and Lithuania. The Polish program focuses on PET bottles and metal cans much like the Romanian system, with a deposit value of 0.50 PLN (0.10 EUR cents) per container. While the system is newer and adoption is still growing, early reports indicate increasing public participation and a positive environmental impact, particularly in reducing litter and encouraging recycling habits.

Eastern Europe is leading the way in circular economy. Though with a lot more ground to cover the model highlights the potential for well-designed recycling programs to increase consumer participation, reduce litter, conserve resources, and serve as models for other nations seeking to advance circular economy practices. The economic footprint is also considerable with hundreds of millions of euro being saved by Eastern European nations in a time when a money squeeze and economic hardships might start to be the norm.

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