Plastic Waste Trade Issues and Environmental Contamination in Romania

Romania is still a landfilled-based country and is exposed to illegal dumping and open burning practices of plastic items, particularly in rural regions; therefore, recycling and source-separated waste collection schemes need to be further improved at the national scale. In this context, this work aims to examine the role of plastic waste trade in Romania and the repercussions to the environment associated with it, such as other domestic waste management deficiencies. Therefore, this study reveals the manner in which plastic wastes from abroad (i.e., plastic packaging, textile waste, plastic parts of e-waste, and end-of-life vehicles) pose additional threats to the environment under the prevalence of linear economy mechanisms and, also, how these waste streams appear to interact with both the formal and informal recycling sectors in Romania. The role of plastic waste trade in aquatic and terrestrial contamination should be further investigated in Romania.