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Romania generates over 20 million tons of waste per year, and businesses worth hundreds of millions of euros revolve around such a huge amount. The profitability of these businesses increases in inverse proportion to the degree of compliance with the laws. In other words, the more you cheat the procedures, the more money you end up with. The most direct example: every ton of garbage taken to the landfill is taxed and surcharged, so it costs more than if you got rid of the garbage by burying it in the field. In the face of these temptations to maximize profits, only strong institutions capable of keeping under control the activity of large waste management companies can be placed. What happens in the absence of these strong institutions? A real mafia is created around the waste business in which white collars team up with the tattooed muscles of the underworld. The result is that the garbage ends up being buried in the field with the excavator, like in a third world country. Thousands and thousands of tons, which generate a real ecological catastrophe. This is what the garbage mafia looks like in a state with failed institutions. ------------- Recorder is an online publication built by a team of journalists around these principles: honest journalism, done with passion and put in public service. Our content is free, but it wouldn't be possible without people paying for it. Journalists' salaries, travel in the country and all other expenses necessary for the operation of a newsroom are supported by readers' donations. You can find all support options here: https://bit.ly/3QRzRkA