The law changed and the old figures stayed online
Waste is now governed by OUG no. 92/2021, approved with amendments by Law no. 17/2023, which replaced Law 211/2011.
Under the old law the fine for individuals was 3,000 to 6,000 lei. That figure still appears in many articles and is superseded. If you read an amount without seeing its legal basis, check it.
What the fines are now
- Individuals: 10,000 to 20,000 lei for abandoning waste or disposing of it outside authorised spaces
- Legal entities: 50,000 to 70,000 lei for the same conduct
When it stops being an infringement and becomes a crime
This is the distinction that matters most and that few pages explain.
Disposing of waste in unauthorised spaces or setting up illegal dumps is a criminal offence, punishable by 3 to 5 years imprisonment or a fine.
In other words: a sack left beside a container and a tipper load of rubble unloaded at the edge of a wood are not the same act. The first is an infringement, the second can be a crime.
Where to report it
- The primărie, responsible for street cleaning and for applying the local regulation
- The Local Police, where they operate
- The National Environmental Guard, for large quantities, hazardous waste or where a company is involved
- The Police, particularly if you have the vehicle registration
- 112 if anything is burning, smoking or leaking. That is an emergency, not a report
What a usable report contains
- Exact location, preferably with coordinates. On a field track an address does not help
- Two photos: one close enough to show the type of waste, one wide enough to find the place
- The type: rubble, furniture, tyres, green waste, drums, asbestos cement sheets. Competence and classification depend on it
- Approximate quantity, with something visible for scale
- The date and, if you know, how long the place has been used
- Visible clues to origin: dockets, labels, company markings. Do not rummage through the waste
What not to do
- Do not clear it before reporting. The intention is good and it destroys the evidence that would have obliged someone to answer
- Do not touch drums, sealed sacks or sheets that might contain asbestos
- Do not add anything on top, not even a little. A dumping spot attracts others within days
- Do not assume someone has already reported it. That is the commonest reason nobody has
Why a public trail helps
A cleared spot becomes a dump again with surprising regularity. Such places repeat for structural reasons: reachable by car, unseen at night, and the collection centre is far away.
A single report brings one clearance. A dated, photographed history of the same place is something else: it is the argument for a barrier, a camera, a sign or a nearer collection point. In CleanSpot each report keeps a photo, a date and coordinates on a public map, and reopening the same place builds that series.
It does not replace reporting to the primărie and we do not present it as if it did. It is the evidence the file usually lacks.
Sources
What is the fine for abandoning waste in Romania?
Under OUG 92/2021, approved by Law 17/2023, 10,000 to 20,000 lei for individuals and 50,000 to 70,000 lei for legal entities.
Why do I see 3,000 to 6,000 lei everywhere?
Because that figure comes from Law 211/2011, which has been replaced. Many articles were never updated.
When does it become a criminal offence?
Disposing of waste in unauthorised spaces or setting up illegal dumps is a crime, punishable by 3 to 5 years imprisonment or a fine.
Can I clear the place myself?
Not before reporting and photographing it, or the evidence disappears. And do not touch drums or sheets that might contain asbestos.