If consumers had the opportunity to get back their money for the packaging of purchased products, this would encourage the culture of waste recycling, said Alexandr Makuhin, a permanent expert in a series of debates organized by IPN. According to him, that it is a practice applied in many of the European states and it has proven its effectiveness.

The issue was developed in a public debate titled "Sorting and recycling waste. How to ensure a sustainable future", which was staged by IPN News Agency.

Alexandr Makuhin noted that there are many automated recyclable packaging collection machines in Germany. Plastic, glass or metal packaging can be returned and, for each of them, the consumer obtains the guarantee of the amounts paid for packaging when buying the products.

The expert said the sums of money paid back are not large, but it is a good practice to encourage consumers to contribute to waste recycling. Dumping waste on open surfaces leads to the pollution of soil and, consequently, of water and air.

He noted that in Moldova, excluding the Transnistrian region, there are 1,131 waste dumps, which cover an area of 1,225 hectares. In addition to them, there are about 3,800 unauthorized waste storage places. These are critical figures for such a small country as Moldova.

The public debate entitled "Sorting and recycling waste. How to ensure a sustainable future" was staged as part of the project "IPN News Agency for Social Cohesion and a Pro-European Moldova", funded by IMS.