The Ministry of Environment will organize in two weeks the final public debate for Order 1362/2018 on packaging waste management, announced the minister Costel Alexe at the conference “Waste Management – Harmonization of environmental legislation regarding the extended responsibility of the producer,” organized by Green Report.
Order no. 1362/2018 refers to the approval of the Procedure for authorization, annual approval and withdrawal of the operating right of organizations that implement the obligations regarding the extended liability of the manufacturer.
The order wants to change the conditions for the authorization of OIREPs (former OTRs in the field of packaging management). Manufacturers, through Organizations implementing extended producer responsibility obligations (O.I.R.E.P.) are now obliged to meet their recycling targets directly through local authorities and to pay the costs of collecting and sorting packaging waste managed within their area.
“Order 1362/2018 is almost completed. I also had discussions with APM and with the secretary of state Mircea Fechet and with the recyclers. I said that when we launch it, it has to be covered by everyone involved. Because I would not want to make an order again that some approve and others challenge (…) I hope that if not next week, then the other week will have the final debate on it,” said minister Alexe.
He also spoke about the European Ecological Pact – Green Deal -, which he wants to implement “as soon as possible” in Romania and to have benefits for both the environment as well as for the businesses.
“Regarding the task of the Ministry of Environment is to regulate as quickly as possible all these proposals, which will either come through the implementation of European directives, or there will be legislative proposals that will come from you (the recycling industry). But it is important to do it because otherwise, again we will end up in the situation where as a country we will have to take important steps or skip steps to keep up with the European states,” Costel Alexe explained.