What do we need to know?

From Thursday, the Return Guarantee system comes into force in Romania, where you will pay 50 extra money for each drink you buy, which will be refunded when you return the packaging to the supermarket. Environment Minister Mircea Fechet says the scheme will transform Romania "from a landfill country to a recycling country".

The new scheme, the second largest in Europe, requires a deposit on packaging, which is returned to any shop in the country. It is considered the most modern system, drawing on best practice from other European countries, reports Digi24.

The minister said that nine out of ten Romanians had already heard of the scheme and stressed that Romania had learned from the experience of other countries, adapting the system to its geographical and socio-economic particularities. With around 7 billion pieces of packaging put on the market every year, the programme is designed to stimulate recycling and reduce the negative impact of waste on the environment.

We look forward to seeing how the scheme will be implemented and how it will affect Romanians' purchasing habits.