The Deposit-Return System in the Current European Background

Abstract

Nowadays, given the background of the global climate change, the issue of responsible conduct towards society and nature, must concern us all. Current trends at European level are converging towards a growing legal awareness of the obligations we all have towards nature: public authorities, states, but also citizens. The situation of abandoned waste often leads public authorities to resort to public-private partnerships in order to offer possible solutions to protect the planet, preserve and improve the quality of the environment and mitigate man-made damage. The pretext of our paper is the introduction by the Romanian executive of the deposit-return system, as a legal novelty. It was adopted in October 2021 and launched on November 30, 2023. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to learn as much as possible about the implementation of this legal mechanism in our country, which aims to increase the collection and recycling of non-reusable primary packaging. In this regard, our analysis will investigate from an interdisciplinary perspective, on the one hand, the applicable legal framework and, on the other hand, will capture European trends regarding the deposit-return system. We believe that the topic is of general interest, which makes it important not only for public authorities but also for private individuals. Using scientific research methods specific to law, we will emphasize the conclusion of the paper, namely that it is our responsibility to protect the environment in which we live and to contribute to a better quality of life through community involvement, so that we have a cleaner environment. Keywords: deposit-return system; administrative acts; state responsibility; central public authority for environmental protection