Reveal Marketing Research study: 6 out of 10 Romanians want to avoid losing money and intend to recycle non-reusable packaging every time once with the implementation of the new guarantee-return system from the end of this year
The most recent study conducted by Reveal Marketing Research aimed to identify the attitudes and behaviors of Romanians regarding waste management and recycling, in the context where from the end of this year consumers who will choose not to recycle non-reusable plastic, aluminum
- For 6 out of 10 Romanians, the separate collection of recyclable waste is a daily habit
- The main barriers that prevent Romanians from recycling more: the long distance from the collection centers (36%), the sanitation company that does not take recyclable waste separately (34%) and the lack of confidence that the waste is recycled correctly (22% ).
- 63% of Romanians intend to return the packaging of drinks every time once with the implementation of the guarantee-return system
For 6 out of 10 Romanians, the separate collection of recyclable waste is a daily habit
The results of the latest Reveal Marketing Research study show encouraging data, Romanians being more and more involved in protecting the environment through recycling. 58% of Romanians declare that they always collect plastic, glass, metal or paper waste separately, while 35% have this behavior occasionally.
Similar percentages were also recorded in the case of other types of waste such as used batteries, small household appliances or light bulbs, and as a general trend we observe that generation Z (18-24 years) is less concerned with collecting recyclable waste separately .
Most of the time, recyclable packaging (plastic, glass, metal or paper) is taken separately by a waste management company (52%), to a greater extent in rural areas (70% vs. 45% in urban areas). On the other hand, 46% of Romanians mention that they personally take care of transporting recyclable waste to a collection center managed by the municipality, a practice more common in urban areas (52% vs. 32% in rural areas), and 30% take them at a collection center operated by a store.
In terms of how the collected recyclable waste is handed in, 80% of Romanians usually hand it separately by category (plastic, glass, metal and paper) and 20% mixed.
When it comes to the situation of the other categories of separately collected waste (used batteries, small household appliances and light bulbs) habits are changing and they are mainly taken to collection centres managed by shops (82%) or to specialised recycling centres (24%).
Lack of optimal collection infrastructure and mistrust in proper waste management are the main barriers preventing Romanians from recycling more
The main barriers preventing Romanians from recycling waste as much as they would like are the long distance to collection centres (36%), which is mentioned more by urban residents (39% vs. 29% rural), the sanitation company that does not take recyclable waste separately (34%) or the lack of confidence that waste is recycled correctly (22%).
Other obstacles mentioned by Romanians were the lack of information on how to process packaging made of several types of materials (19%), especially for young people under 35 years (24%) or not knowing where recyclable waste should be delivered (15%).
Analysing the behaviour of Romanians who have replaced their large household appliances in the last 10 years, 42% chose to hand in their old ones through the Rabla programme for household appliances, 31% to use the services of a recycling centre/ firm, 30% to hand them in at the store where they bought their new appliances and 24% to keep them as reserves or take them elsewhere.
What does the new guarantee-return system, which will enter into force on 30 November 2023, entail?
Under the forthcoming legislation on the return-guarantee scheme, consumers will pay a deposit of 0.50 RON when they will buy a drink in a non-reusable glass, plastic or metal packaging and will get their deposit back when they return the packaging.
6 out of 10 Romanians intend to return every time the packaging of the drinks bought once with the implementation of the guarantee-return system
66% of survey participants say they have heard about the return guarantee scheme for beverage packaging to be implemented at the end of the year, with men more informed than women (72% vs. 61%).
In this new scenario, 63% of Romanians intend to return their beverage packaging every time in order to recover the purchase guarantee, with those over 45 years old being the most conscientious (71%) and 35% declare that they will return them occasionally, especially young people aged 18-24 (50%).
Measuring perceptions towards this regulation, we find that more than half of Romanians would prefer to return packaging to a waste collection device (60%), especially young people up to 35 years old (67%), 25% are in doubt as they do not have a clear preference at the moment, and 15% would opt for manual return.
In terms of how Romanians think the new system will influence their consumption habits, 43% say they will buy drinks as before, especially men (49% vs. 38% women) and those over 45 (51%), the age group that stood out as the most responsible in terms of recycling. 19% think they will buy bigger packaging to pay less for the guarantee and to a lesser extent they will buy less often (13%) or choose cheaper products on the shelf (12%).
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About Reveal Marketing Research
Reveal Marketing Research is a full-service market research company, specialized in market research, sociological studies, customer insight, business strategy, market development. With expertise in over 20 industries, Reveal Marketing Research believes that market research is the basis for the right decisions and brand positioning. Qualitative and quantitative solutions have been helping companies in Romania and other European countries for 15 years.
Methodology: The Reveal Marketing Research study was conducted online during 22 – 26.05.2023 on a representative sample for the universe of people aged 18+, internet users, urban and rural residents. The sample size was 1007 respondents, and the maximum sampling error is +/- 3.1% at a 95% confidence level.