Moldova's new glass recycling plant doubles capacity for a greener future
A new recycling facility has opened in the capital, Chișinău, capable of processing a much larger volume of glass waste.
The investment marks a significant step forward in sustainable waste management and environmental protection.
Equipped with modern machinery, the new line is much more efficient. The collected glass is fed directly from the bunkers onto four sorting lines. Here, the glass waste is separated and processed, transforming it into a reusable resource.
The company that handles the glass recycling began its operations three years ago with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes per month. This new investment doubles the capacity to 2,000.
"Glass can be recycled countless times, unlike other recyclable materials. We began operations in 2022, initially with an optical sorter and a capacity of 2.5 tonnes per hour. Today, we have a capacity of 5 tonnes per hour and a double sorting system to produce high-quality material," said Serghei Balica, the recycling company's administrator.
The municipal waste management company, Regia Autosalubritate, is one of the local partners actively involved in waste management.
"This collaboration directly contributes to achieving national recycling and recovery targets and improving control of waste streams. Most importantly, it brings real benefits to the community: a cleaner city, a protected environment, and resources conserved through recycling," stated Emilia Cojocaru, a representative of Regia Autosalubritate.
The Orheiul Vechi Reserve is one of the communities that collects large quantities of plastic and glass for recycling.
"The Reserve is currently responsible for collecting recyclable waste, including plastic and glass, using its established mechanisms and bringing it here. Just today, a special truck filled with plastic arrived, and the day before yesterday, a truck with 17 cubic metres of glass shards came in," recounted Ion Ciobanu, a representative of the Orheiul Vechi Cultural-Natural Reserve.
Since 2022, the company has processed 30,000 tonnes of glass shard waste, which has been returned to the economy in the form of construction materials, new glass packaging, or technical and artistic products.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
