Bucharest proposes seven‑bin waste collection and pay‑as‑you‑throw system

The Bucharest City Hall has drafted a comprehensive overhaul of municipal waste management. The plan expands selective collection from four to seven fractions: paper and cardboard; plastic and metal; glass; biodegradable waste; residual waste; textiles; and hazardous waste, each to be placed in dedicated coloured containers. Food scraps and garden waste would be gathered separately for composting or anaerobic digestion.

A “pay‑as‑you‑throw” tariff would link household sanitation fees to the amount of waste generated. The proposal also creates voluntary drop‑off centres for bulky items such as used oil, furniture, mattresses, electronics, batteries and other hazardous materials. Additional measures include night‑time collection of at least 30% of waste, monthly street‑cleaning actions, replacement of manual sweepers with HEPA‑filtered street vacuums, and performance indicators for waste‑service operators with fines ranging from 500 to 25 000 lei for non‑compliance. If approved by the General Council, the measures would be phased in through 2033.