RoRec Projects
How can you gather 5 tons of WEEE in only 7 hours
7 hours, 5 tons of waste electrical and electronic equipment, two collection points. These were the coordinates of the launching of a new WEEE drop off centre in Bistrita, a project run by the RoRec Association.
We could as well call this event ‘an important step for a cleaner future’. It is a step taken by a large number of people living in Bistrita, one that they needed and which will offer them from now on an important solution for the protection of the environment. This is because the inhabitants of Bistrita have always paid great attention to the quality of life and of the environment. The Mayor of Bistrita, Mr. Ovidiu Cretu, declared that ‘it is impossible not to be a green mayor in Bistrita. People here want to live in a clean environment.’ He does not deny that there are problems, too. ‘However, we have never pretended that they didn’t exist, and we have carried out various actions every year in order to address these issues,’ he underlined.
The RoRec project is supported by the municipal authorities, which is essential for the success of such an initiative.
The WEEE Drop off Centre which was officially launched in Bistrita by the Romanian Association for Recycling – RoRec, in partnership with the Town Hall, is an answer to one of the county’s major problems. ‘Every Saturday we have WEEE collection campaigns in Bistrita, on request by our citizens and companies. This centre represents an excellent solution,’ added Mr. Ovidiu Creţu.
George Avram, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Bistrita, told us that such a centre is welcome in Bistrita. ‘I am convinced that now all this waste will end up where it should do. I am glad that we are the first in the Ardeal region to benefit from such a project,’ he explained.
Actually, Mr. Avram says that the problem of waste has been one of his main concerns for a long time now, and the greening actions in Bistrita county confirm this. In 2009, the focus was on cleaning the forests and rivers, and hundreds of volunteers participated in these actions. The people of Bistrita wish to live in a clean environment and this can be seen even as one takes a walk through the county’s capital city.
Florin Popa, the manager of the ‘Drop off Centres’ project run by the Romanian Association for Recycling – RoRec, explained that this platform’s activities will start during the next few weeks. It aims to provide a solution to the citizens’ requirements and to cover a large range of selective collection services, because waste is everywhere.
According to his statement, more than 200 legal and natural persons participated in this action, handing over old equipment, so approximately 5 tons of WEEE were gathered in one day. Moreover, the action was supported by a large team of volunteers, local students, who were keen promoters of this campaign.
‘The network of RoRec own WEEE Drop off centres in partnership with the town halls’ project was born in the summer of 2009. Eleven centres have been launched so far, and collection centres in six towns have reached various construction stages. According to the RoRec representative, the association is conducting talks with other town halls, the objective being to launch approximately 100 such centres by the end of 2011.
The interest of the people of Bistrita for the quality of life is not limited to the county’s largest towns.
Anghel Niculae, the Mayor of the Cosbuc commune, was present at the round table organised at the Town Hall of the Municipality of Bistrita. He believes that the way in which children become aware of environment issues is of great importance now. ‘In Cosbuc, we have, for example, the Environment Scouts, with proper badges and all. They are my agents, they inform me about all environment-related problems. If we don’t work together, we’ll never achieve anything,’ he said. Nevertheless, Mirela Bracă, reprezentative of the Public Health Directorate, stated that one of the problems they are confronted with is Romania’s long-lasting conscience crisis: ‘you must bring change at the level of own responsibilities. We live in a society which reacts to constraints,’ she explained.
The success of this initiative in Bistrita is measured in this case through various coordinates: the openness of the authorities, the enthusiasm of the local people and the quantity of WEEE gathered in only one day: five tons in only seven hours. This proves that such initiatives are needed, that citizens are open to selective collection activities, but there is one condition: the existence of the infrastructure which allows the people to behave as ‘European citizens’, not … 99% manele-fans.
Tags: weee collection center , weee collection , bistrita
