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The Green Manners Guide – an innovative code of conduct for the age of climate change

Posted on: Nov 16, 2021 by Lungu Ada

10 years ago, RoRec Association (Romania) launched the Recycling Patrol – an environmental education program dedicated to pupils from kindergartens, schools, and high schools in Romania. For 8 years, RoRec coordinated the program with stunning results – 8,000,000 kg of WEEE collected, 125,000 children and teenagers and 4,500 teachers involved as volunteers, over 7 million people reached by awareness-raising campaigns and media coverage. In 2019, the Recycling Patrol was taken over by Volens Association and RoRec Association remained a trusted partner, supporting the development of the program.

In 2021 The Recycling Patrol celebrated its 10th anniversary with one of its most ambitious projects, so far – The Green Manners Guide. The brand new free e-book tackles 10 hot topics on climate change and offers tips and tricks for a more sustainable lifestyle. However, the Guide is more than just another “how-to” book, as the recommendations it presents are real actions practiced by dozens of teams of teachers and kids, all over the country.

After spending the last 10 years encouraging thousands of schools in Romania to adopt better habits towards the environment, mainly concerning the responsible collection of e-waste, the project team realized that a new good-manners code was emerging and decided to give it a friendly, concise form.

The project is not only the legacy of the first 10 years of the program, but it also marks the beginning of the new ambitious phase of the Recycling Patrol. The „next level” is raising the „green manners” concept to the same level as the traditional „good manners” code, and making the Guide an educational tool for teachers, families, and organizations involved in fighting climate change.

Making of: Ideas gathered from children and teachers all over the country

Throughout the year 2021, the project team challenged teachers and pupils to come up with solutions in 10 important environmental areas, summed up as physical waste reduction (from plastic to e-waste) through freecycling, upcycling and recycling, food waste, water and energy waste, pollution and deforestation,  the loss of biodiversity. The record-breaking achievements, in the collection of e-waste, were described in a dedicated chapter, which also tells the story of the first 8 years of the Recycling Patrol.

Hundreds of practical ideas poured from enthusiastic young volunteers who couldn’t wait to share their good deeds with the world. Some had boosted the separate collection for all types of recyclable waste, in their entire village, others had gone as far as creating recipes from leftovers, to avoid food waste. Kindergarten children had taken part in planting trees and river cleaning actions and were so proud to have their achievements included in this national collection of good practices in climate education. Andreea Idriceanu Calev, Project Architect of the Recycling Patrol

This June, an editorial team of 10 volunteers started to organize relevant and exciting information, data, statistics, context, and to put together the stories from the kids, on all the 10 topics, giving the project the best part of their summer.

The Green Manners Guide was ready to launch by the end of September and had its „premiere” at the conference of The Romanian National Commission for UNESCO „Education without borders for sustainable development”.

A free ebook for teachers, children, teenagers, families, and organizations involved in fighting climate change

The Green Manners Guide was declared „a revelation” by the first teachers who downloaded it.

It is so visually appealing, quite a work of art. I was so touched to see they used mostly pictures and drawings from the children.

It is captivating reading. The information is interesting and accessible, illustrated with practical examples, you simply can’t put it down.”

I burst into tears when I found stories of my team in this Guide. I think it is a motivating and inspiring acknowledgment of all our efforts so far. It can be used by teachers, but also parents and children. It can be used as classroom material as well as a bedtime story.”

The ebook can be downloaded for free (in Romanian only) from www.patruladereciclare.ro and marks the beginning of the next phase of the program.

We are starting a national conversation about the values and principles on which we base our day-to-day life. The profound change of mind frame we need will take place when our definition of „proper behavior” will include not only our relationship with other people but also our relationship with the entire ecosystem. Ada Lungu, PR Coordinator of the Recycling Patrol

The Green Manners Guide by the Recycling Patrol stands for an innovative tool to widen the reach of climate education beyond the frontiers of the school into the mainframe of society. All those interested in supporting or replicating the initiative are welcome to contact the team at office@patruladereciclare.ro

No batteries in the trash bin! The national competition of the Recycling Patrol hits its 2021 Edition

Posted on: Jun 16, 2021 by Lungu Ada

The COVID-19 pandemic might have stopped short many things, but not the young volunteers’ drive to encourage the used batteries collection all over Romania.

The kids and teachers enrolled in the Recycling Patrol compete in the 2021 edition of the national contest `No batteries in the trash bin!”, initiated by the Volens Association with the support of E-Recycling Services (ERS) and of the RoRec Association.

 

Throughout the summer, the teams will strive to promote the responsible collection of spent batteries and accumulators, through creative activities and communication. The schools that will collect the largest quantities of batteries will be awarded.

Last year’s edition saw inspiring actions, especially from the teams in rural areas. KIndergartens and schools from villages made a massive impact on their neighbours, with, maybe, the most unexpected „fans”. Grandparents worked with the children to convince other elderly members of the community to give away batteries and other broken or old appliances. The competition also got the pupils to create original recipients for the collection of batteries, from recyclable materials.

Celebrating the 10th anniversary by going back to the original mission

This year’s edition is special – the Recycling Patrol celebrates its 10th anniversary. The competition marks the first objective of the program – the selective collection of e-waste and used batteries.

The Recycling Patrol started its journey, 10 years ago, with a handful of pioneers – teachers and pupils, who took on the job of raising awareness on the importance of recycling e-waste. This is what we did, for the first 8 years. This enabled the Recycling Patrol to be acknowledged country-wide and expand into a national platform for environmental education focused on several major climate topics. Some sceptics told us, back then, that we weren’t going to change the world with a battery. Well, we did change the world, one battery at a time. Not only tens of thousands of such used items got recycled instead of ending up in landfills, but, most importantly, thousands of people adopted the responsible habit of collecting them regularly” says Alexandra Arnautu, program manager.

 

While Romania may still be lagging behind the European batteries recycling standards, the volunteers of the Recycling Patrol continue to foster progress in this respect, with mind-blowing records. Throughout the history of the program, the top-performing school succeeded in collecting over 415kg of used batteries in several months.

In 2021, over 50 teams all over the country are creating campaigns to educate their peers that no used battery or accumulator should be thrown in the trash bin. Little by little, families, schools and institutions join the movement and collect this type of e-waste, making their communities greener and encouraging good practices.

International E-Waste Day successfully concluded!

Posted on: Oct 30, 2020 by Lungu Ada

On the occasion of the International E-Waste Day, between September 28 and October 26, 2020, an information and collection campaign for e-waste took place in 32 cities in Romania, organized by the Romanian Association for Recycling – RoRec, in partnership with local authorities.

This is an initiative developed by WEEE Forum, the world’s largest multi-national centre of competence as regards management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), which involved over 100 different organizations from over 60 countries around the world. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of the importance of collecting e-waste and to encourage people to make this gesture responsibly.

500,000 kilograms of e-waste collected selectively and sent for recycling

Following the campaign organized in the 26 counties, approximately 500,000 kilograms of e-waste were selectively collected and sent for recycling. The Romanians got rid of the e-waste correctly, either by taking them to the temporary collection points, or by calling TelVerde 0800 444 800 – the free pick-up service from home or headquarters.

410 consumers at national level were the lucky winners of the prizes at the local raffles. The list of winners will be published on www.colecteaza.ro.

During the event, approximately 2,800 citizens called TelVerde 0800 444 800 in search of information about WEEE collection.

Citizens who have not participated in this action and want to get rid of electrical waste from home or office, can call the toll-free Green Line (TelVerde) 0800 444 800 – the national free collection service from home or headquarters. This is a PERMANENT SERVICE that citizens from all over the country can benefit from, by a simple call to TELVERDE 0800 444 800!

TelVerde 0800 444 800, a permanent WEEE collection service

According to the operation procedure of the service, after you have placed an order at TelVerde 0800 444 800, you will be contacted by the Local Collection Service within your county. Together you will establish the day and time interval for the takeover. The deadline to receive a phone call from the local team is 3 working days, from the day following the registration of an order in the call center. Legal entities are provided with the necessary legal documents. TelVerde 0800 444 800 is a toll-free number, from any fixed or mobile telephone network, available from Monday to Friday, between 9.00-17.00.

The specific legislation and the obligation to selectively collect WEEE have as main motivations human health, resources and  environment protection against the negative, irreparable effects of e-waste. This type of waste has non-biodegradable components, which contain toxic substances. Once in the landfill or in nature, these substances pollute the soil, air, water and affect our health.

Choose to respect not only the legislation, but the entire community you belong to and, especially, the environment – collect e-waste! Always stay informed – enter www.colecteaza.ro and facebook.com/asociatiarorec.ro!

What we do for the International E-Waste Day, in Romania

Posted on: Oct 13, 2020 by Lungu Ada

Bucharest, October 13, 2020. On October 14, the International E-Waste Day (IEWD), Romanians have the opportunity to prove their responsibility and efficiency in recycling this type of waste, at the international level.

The RoRec Association and the Recycling Patrol are, again, partners in informing and mobilizing communities for WEEE collection. We are participating for the third year in a row in the WEEE Forum initiative, together with 100 organizations from 50 countries around the world.

Organizations participating in IEWD 2020 under the auspices of the WEEE Forum, aim to help consumers become more aware about e-waste and the right ways to dispose of it.

32 collection events in the country and education activities with the Recycling Patrol

Along with local authorities and local partners, the RoRec Association also organizes events to collect old or defective electrical appliances in 32 counties in Romania. Each campaign will end with a raffle of prizes. The e-waste collected will contribute to Romania’s results in this global movement.

The RoRec Association has created an efficient e-waste collection system – an extensive network of collection points for small appliances, batteries and light bulbs and a free service for picking up large objects from home or headquaters – TelVerde 0800 444 800.

Awareness efforts will be joined by teachers enrolled in the national environmental education platform Recycling Patrol, developed by the Volens Association with the support of the RoRec Association. On October 14, teachers from kindergartens, schools and high schools across the country will organize, for their students, educational activities, games, presentations, workshops on the recycling of electrical waste.

Find out what children around the world are saying about IEWD 2020.

Anyone who wants to get rid of electrical appliances correctly and legally has the opportunity to do so, free of charge and effortlessly, through the infrastructure and services provided by the RoRec Association and local partners – collection centers, TelVerde 0800 444 800 and www.colecteaza.ro.

Therefore, Romanians could be champions at collecting and recycling e-waste. On the International E-Waste Day, we can take another step further, by responding to the messages of children and volunteer teachers from the Recycling Patrol and participating in WEEE collection campaigns organized by the RoRec Association.

Details about the International E-Waste Day:

https://weee-forum.org/iewd-about/

https://www.colecteaza.ro/serviciul-local-de-colectare/

The Local Collection Service: a New Performance!

Posted on: Sep 1, 2020 by Lungu Ada

September ends with another 1,800,000 kilograms of e- waste collected by our local partners. The equivalent of 6,500 refrigerators or about 950,000 small electrical appliances. These quantities came from takeover orders from homes and companies, from retail and from institutions. More than 2,500 orders were taken by the crews on the ground, and the satisfaction indicator of our collectors increased by 7 percent. The quality of the service has increased visibly this month, thanks to the constant efforts of our local partners, the team from the TelVerde call center and the program “Quality services, always a priority!”

“We are glad that we end this month with a recognition of the increase in the quality of the service we offer, as well as with a good collection rate. It is also important that communities reconfirmed us daily how much they need to dispose of this waste properly, to have quick separate collection solutions at hand, and to benefit from this free service provided by the RoRec Association and its partners”, says Simona Ghiga, the representative of the local collection operator from Iași, EcoArena.

We are close to 2,000,000 kg of collected e-waste in August as well

Posted on: Aug 27, 2020 by Lungu Ada

More than 3,500 orders arrived at TelVerde in August, and partner operators were present in the field in all counties. Although it is a period of vacation and relaxation, the order rate has not decreased and the authorized partners of the RoRec Association have honored thousands of requests from the population.

The volume of electrical waste increases globally at a rate of 3-4% annually. According to estimates, in 2025, about 60 million tons of electrical waste will be generated worldwide. Can you imagine that this amount is the equivalent of 290,000 Statues of Liberty?

In the governing priorities of the European Union announced by 2030, the recycling of e- waste is increasingly necessary, more important.

National legislation transposing European standards translates into the obligation to selectively collect e-waste, which is the obligation of both the citizen and local authorities, companies and institutions. Therefore, the collection of e-waste is an essential part of the collective effort aimed at protecting the environment, developing efficient systems and encouraging good habits among the population.

We are glad that the people and the authorities understand that this is a joint effort that we must make responsibly and that the gesture of each of us is important.

Sooner, better, quicker!

Posted on: Aug 17, 2020 by Lungu Ada

In August we also launched a new program dedicated to our collection partners, called “Quality services, always a priority”.

We started from the new standards of ISO certification, as well as from the feedback of depositors and partners and we invited all authorized local operators to join us in a program to increase customer satisfaction.

The program will run for a period of 3 months and aims to improve the response to requests to our Green Line call center (TelVerde), respecting the slogan of the National Collection Network “sooner, better, quicker!”.

The local collection partners have received the challenge with interest and the results are already visible: only two weeks after the launch of the program, the rate of complaints and interpellations in the RoRec call center has decreased by a few percent.

We will keep you updated every month with the results of the program!

August also came with a new certification for the RoRec Association: ISO 14001: 2015

Posted on: Aug 10, 2020 by Lungu Ada

The ISO 14001: 2015 environmental management system is the framework for the strategic approach of environmental policies, plans and actions of organizations that manage their environmental responsibilities in a systemic manner, in order to contribute to the sustainability of their operations.

“Through the certification process for ISO 14001, the RoRec Association has redefined and re-evaluated all environmental aspects resulting from all activities and services, as well as environmental issues of its partners in WEEE management.” explained Mihai Porojan, manager of the Logistics and Technologies Department.

“This type of certification is important primarily because it confirms that a rigorous system is used in the work processes of the association and adapted to European requirements. A systematic and pro-active approach leads to reduced environmental risks, cost savings and legal certainty. We rigorously observe the relevant environmental legislation and the regulations through which it is implemented “, he added.

Such certification is also important to reaffirm the trust that all our partners have been giving us for over 12 years: communities, government agencies, private organisations and customers.

We offer you free time. With a call you get rid of e-waste correctly!

Posted on: Jul 16, 2020 by Lungu Ada

The Local Collection Service continues its activity during the holidays. Following the campaign carried out by the RoRec Association, together with the local authorities and collection partners, over 2,000 tons of electrical waste went to recycling.

In June, an extensive information and collection campaign for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) took place at national level, organized by the Romanian Association for Recycling – RoRec together with local authorities from 24 counties and partner local operators.

Following the actions carried out throughout June, an impressive amount of over 2,000,000 kilograms of waste electrical and electronic equipment was selectively collected from the population and sent for recycling.

The communities got rid of the electrical appliances correctly.

Over 5,500 citizens called the TelVerde (green line) 0800 444 800 and over 250 participants in the collection actions won prizes consisting of electrical and household appliances.

The list of campaign winners can be found on www.colecteaza.ro on the page of each collection action.

When you want to get rid of electrical waste in your home or office, you can still call TelVerde 0800 444 800 – the free collection service from your home, company or institution. This is a PERMANENT SERVICE, which you can benefit from by simply calling TELVERDE 0800 444 800!

According to the operating procedure of the service, after you have placed an order at TelVerde 0800 444 800, you will be contacted by the Local Collection Service. Together you will set the day and time when the collection of e-waste will take place. The deadline to receive a phone call from the local team is 3 working days, from the day following the registration of an order in the call center. Legal entities are provided with the necessary documents. TelVerde 0800 444 800 is a toll free number, from any fixed or mobile telephone network, available from Monday to Friday between 9.00-17.00.

The main legislation and the obligation to separately collect WEEE have as main motivations the protection of the environment, the health of the population and the resources from the negative, irreparable effects of e-waste. They have in their structure non-biodegradable components, which contain toxic substances. Arriving at the landfill or in nature, these substances pollute the soil, air and water and affect our health.

Choose to respect not only the legislation, but also the entire community you belong to and, especially, the environment – collect e-waste separately! Always be informed – enter http://www.colecteaza.ro and http://www.facebook.com/asociatiarorec.ro

Call 0800 444 800 and you can get rid of this waste with a simple phone call, thus saving time for an eco holiday!

Unique in Europe

Posted on: Jun 18, 2020 by Lungu Ada

The effects of the pandemic and isolation were strongly felt in the field of e-waste collection. Our colleagues from WEEE Forum, the international organization that brings together over 40 local associations from 5 continents, have faced many challenges and a drastic reduction in activity.

83% of WEEE Forum members were forced to change their work plans and shift the focus of communication to online and social media.

Countries with high collection rates have interrupted campaigns with the population and launched media communication projects.

In the UK, a champion in WEEE collection, all Repic consumer campaigns have been stopped and influencer education programs have been run, and in Ireland, where there are normally a lot of campaigns on all channels, the collection activity was completely suspended by the board of WEEE Ireland.

“During this period it was very difficult to gain the attention of the press or to communicate with consumers”, reveals the results of a study conducted by the WEEE Forum team. “58% of members have run a campaign related to the pandemic, explaining to the consumers, members and partners how to proceed with e-waste during the lockdown.”

And yet… ”The RoRec team and our partners from more than half of Romania continued to work and kept ongoing the communication channels with the consumers, as well as the e-waste collection activities, says Gabriela Tranciuc, PR & COMM project manager. This brought us to the forefront of interaction with the public and made it possible for us to quickly resume work across the country when the state of emergency was lifted. We were unique in Europe through this active approach and thus responded to the requests of those who needed us. We can say that we have written history again and I thank the operators, the crews on the field and the colleagues who held up the WEEE collection flag in these difficult times ”.