Introduction of Romania's deposit return system
Paco Supermarkets network in Romania includes 18 supermarkets and a cash-and-carry in Vrancea county. The owner of Paco stores, Feliciu Paraschiv, opted for manual collection of drink containers. He later realized it was more efficient and convenient to use a reverse vending machine (RVM), which automates the scanning/storage of containers and payout of deposit refunds. In his opinion, automated collection is a differentiator not only for his store but for all small stores.
Automated collection has brought visible improvements to our stores: employees spend less time, and customers are more satisfied. Additionally, the area around the store is cleaner, and the speed of containers collection is higher.
Feliciu ParaschivOwner of Paco Supermarkets
TOMRA M1: The smallest reverse vending machine
Feliciu Paraschiv chose TOMRA's reverse vending machines for their collection of drink containers for recycling because he wanted to work with the best. “In this store, we are currently using an RVM from TOMRA – the TOMRA M1, the smallest system. A small, stylish machine that can be installed inside a store; a machine that doesn’t make noise, is easy to service, easy to clean, doesn’t cause problems, and doesn’t jam. TOMRA M1 is an excellent RVM for a small to medium-sized store,” says Paraschiv.
TOMRA M1 can collect all three types of containers in Romania’s deposit return system: plastic, glass, and metal. With a footprint of only 0.61 m², TOMRA M1 is designed for small and convenience stores. From his perspective, the deposit return system will bring immense benefits to the country, being the best environmental initiative in the last 20 years.
I am now convinced that in the next 2–3 years, we won’t see any containers thrown on the roadside. Because now, all the containers have a fixed path: from the store to the customer and from the customer to a reverse vending machine!
Feliciu ParaschivOwner of Paco Supermarkets