Unclaimed deposits in Romania's DRS finally have calculation rules: what the Government decided on 30 October

In shortAt its meeting of 30 October 2026, the Government adopted a decision completing GD no. 1074/2021: unclaimed deposits in Romania's deposit-return system (SGR) receive, for the first time, a definition and an annual calculation method that is documented and verifiable. The deposit value stays at 0.5 lei and no new obligations appear for producers or retailers. The final text, however, dropped the planned return points in schools, universities and public institutions.

What the Government decided

Until now, GD no. 1074/2021 neither defined unclaimed deposits - the money paid for packaging that never comes back into the system - nor said how they are calculated. The decision adopted on 30 October fills exactly this gap: the annual value is determined as the difference between deposits collected and deposits refunded in the calendar year, minus the estimated value of refund obligations that may still fall due, plus the deposits on vouchers that expired unused.

The estimate of refund obligations follows a procedure drawn up by the SGR administrator, based on aggregated historical data on market placements, actual return behaviour and seasonality. The administrator must keep the result of the calculation and the supporting documentation for 5 years. And the consumer's right to recover the deposit for packaging returned after the annual calculation date remains untouched.

Legal basis: Government Decision no. 1074/2021 establishing the deposit-return system for non-reusable primary packaging, republished, as subsequently amended and supplemented (deposit value - Art. 12; producers' payment obligations - Art. 4); Law no. 249/2015 on the management of packaging and packaging waste, as subsequently amended and supplemented. The decision adopted on 30 October is due to be published in the Official Gazette; the act's number and entry into force are to be confirmed upon publication.

Why it matters: large amounts, so far without rules

Producers placing products in SGR packaging on the market pay the administrator, every month, the value of the related deposits and, separately, the administration fee. With a collection rate of 85% in the first nine months of 2026, part of the deposits paid remains unclaimed year after year - significant amounts, with over 4.1 billion containers returned in this interval alone. Until now the calculation of this money was a grey area; from now on, the figure becomes documented and verifiable. The Government stated explicitly that the decision does not change the deposit value and introduces no new obligations for consumers, retailers or producers.

Also on 30 October, the Government dropped the draft article that would have allowed return points with reverse vending machines in schools, universities and public institutions, based on partnerships with retailers. Returns therefore stay on the existing channels.

Key point: the decision asks nothing new of you - nothing to file, nothing extra to report, and the deposit stays at 0.5 lei per container. What changes is transparency: unclaimed deposits become a figure calculated under rules, with documentation kept for 5 years.

What to do now

The annual calculation rests on aggregated market-placement and return data - that is, upstream, on producers' monthly reports to the SGR administrator. Make sure these are accurate and reconciled with your internal records, the self-billing invoices you receive and your Environment Fund returns. And when you analyse how the administration fee and your SGR costs for 2027 are substantiated, the newly documented unclaimed-deposit figure is a reference you can request and verify. If you were considering collection projects in partnership with schools or public institutions, they no longer have a legal basis in the adopted text.

Circulad'OR can help you check these reconciliations - market placements, self-billing invoices, Environment Fund returns - and analyse your SGR costs before budgeting for 2027. And if you are preparing your packaging for the PPWR requirements, Yvora keeps compliance records at packaging level - the same data, put to work twice.