Around 85% of the waste generated in Bucharest's districts ends up in landfills untreated, while fines totaling 430,000 lei were issued following the latest field inspections, according to data published by the National Environmental Guard (GNM) on its Facebook page.

"The results of the thematic inspection we carried out between September 3-12 in the Capital's districts show once again that the legally established targets are far from being met," the institution noted.

Currently, only 11.63% of the total waste generated in Bucharest is recycled, compared with the target of 50%. At the same time, just 15% of the waste sent to landfills is treated, although the target is 100%.

"Bucharest is losing badly in the race for recycling, with financial and environmental costs ultimately borne by citizens. We impose fines because the waste management law requires us to, but it is becoming clear that we need a new, systemic solution if we want to catch up in the field of waste recycling and the circular economy," GNM's General Commissioner Andrei Corlan was quoted as saying in the institution's release.

The GNM inspection focused on three indicators: the recycling target achievement rate, the share of untreated waste sent to landfills, and the landfill diversion rate.

As a result, GNM commissioners imposed ten fines totaling 430,000 lei across Bucharest's districts, along with six warnings.

According to the institution's data, the amount of recycled waste has fallen by more than 3.5 percentage points. Following inspections carried out in 2024, it was found that Romania's recycling rate for 2023 had dropped below 10% nationwide, the Environmental Guard reported.