“At the stage of preparing the law, we estimated the initial volume of investments at the level of 15-20 million euros. This is a rough estimate based on the experience of Romania, Lithuania, Slovakia and other countries. The actual amount will depend on the scaling of the system: the number of collection points, selected technological solutions, logistics and transportation, equipment for sorting and recycling” – said the state secretary.
At the same time, he clarified that the state will not participate in financing. It is 100% private investment. The Ministry of Ecology creates the rules and regulatory policy, and business launches the entire infrastructure.
Why SDA is not a commercial project
The launch of the deposit system does not imply profit making by the market participants either. It is not a classical economic system, which is why the form of an association was chosen. It is a tool for administration and coordination, not a commercial project for profit. The main goal of the whole project is to reduce waste and accelerate the development of the recycling industry.
According to Grigory Stratulat, the launch of SDA is planned for January 2027 However, in the world practice, no country has launched a deposit container system with a fully ready infrastructure. Some services were outsourced, some infrastructure was built gradually.
It should be noted that Moldova plans to launch a deposit system for packaging, which will allow citizens to deposit glass, plastic and metal packaging and receive 2 lei for each unit. The law provides for the creation of a single administrator of the deposit system with rather broad powers. It should be a non-governmental, non-profit organization, formed by associations of producers and retailers and selected by the state on a competitive basis. The process of selecting a candidate is currently underway.
