Environmental protection does not start at the recycling bin, but much earlier — when we choose what to buy. And the story of a product does not end when we stop using it. Here's how a free app can train your "green" reflex, from choosing a device that consumes and pollutes less, to information about recycling and selective collection — a support for anyone who wants to live more responsibly.
We live surrounded by electrical and electronic equipment: phones, household appliances, light bulbs, battery-powered toys. They all make our lives easier, but when they break or we replace them, they become waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) — a separate category that already represents a significant percentage of municipal waste and that contains both environmentally hazardous substances and valuable materials that can be recovered. The good news is that this waste has a very high recycling rate; the less good news is that it often ends up being thrown away incorrectly, especially the small ones, considered “invisible waste”. Here, every gesture of the consumer counts.
Environmental protection is, to a large extent, a sum of small decisions made every day: what we buy, how much it consumes, how long it lasts and what we do with the product at the end. And a free app can help us with each of these steps. The InfoCons app, created by InfoCons, a non-governmental consumer protection organization, is available in 33 languages and includes over 5,8 million products. In addition to product information and safety alerts, it provides data on the energy label, an environmental impact score and information on recycling and selective collection. In short, it helps you think “green” from the shelf to the moment you hand in an appliance for recycling. Let’s see how, in concrete terms.
Environmental protection starts in the store, not just at the recycling bin
For anyone who wants caring for the planet to start earlier
We usually think about environmental protection only at the end, when we have to get rid of an old product. In reality, we have the greatest impact much earlier — at the moment we choose what to buy. A device that consumes a lot of electricity will pollute, indirectly, for years; one manufactured without caring for the environment will be harder to recycle; a poor-quality product will break down quickly and become waste sooner. Therefore, a good purchase choice actually means less waste and less waste of resources in the long run.
The InfoCons app shifts the focus to exactly this key moment. When you scan the QR code on the energy label of a household appliance, you find out the energy class, the technical characteristics and, through a cost calculator, how much it will cost you to use it. Thus, you understand that an energy-efficient product is good for both your pocket and the environment. It is the first step in a way of thinking in which every purchase becomes a small environmental decision — exactly what an organization dedicated to the circular economy wants to cultivate among consumers.
Energy label and Eco InfoScore: how to choose a product that pollutes less
For those who want their choices to weigh in favor of the planet
Not all products have the same environmental impact, but this difference is not always visible on the packaging. The application makes it visible through the Eco InfoScore, a score that takes into account the product's environmental impact, along with other synthetic scores that summarize, at a glance, how healthy and how processed a product is. For an environmentally conscious consumer, this information is a quick guide: you can choose, in full knowledge, the more environmentally friendly option.
Added to this is the comparator, which allows you to compare several products side by side and choose according to the criterion that matters to you. Put at the service of the environment, this tool helps you weigh not only the price, but also the consumption and impact. And the saved products function allows you to plan your purchases in advance, avoiding impulsive purchases — one of the most common sources of waste. In this way, technology does not push you to buy more, but helps you buy better and less often.
Information about recycling and selective collection, right when you scan a product
For those who want to know exactly what they have to do with a device at the end
One of the most useful functions for environmental protection also appears when scanning the energy label: in addition to consumption data, the application also provides information about recycling and selective collection. In other words, from the moment you buy it, you learn that the product in question is not just any object, but one that must ultimately be handed in separately for recycling. This information, present right in the application, triggers an essential reflex: never to throw electrical and electronic equipment in the household waste.
The reflex is all the more important in the case of “invisible waste” — small products that many people don’t even recognize as electrical equipment: a cable, a flashlight, an electric toothbrush, a battery-powered toy, a light bulb. Precisely because they seem small, they are most often thrown away incorrectly. An application that reminds you, at the right moment, that a product needs selective collection helps you make the right choice. And information about recycling does not remain a theoretical detail: it naturally refers to the next step — handing it over to a dedicated collection point.
Where do you take your used appliances? The reflex that connects the application to the network of collection points
For anyone who has ever wondered "what do I do with it now?"
It is useless to know that a device needs to be recycled if we do not know where to take it. This is where the concrete collection infrastructure comes in. In Romania, there is an extensive network of collection points for electrical and electronic waste (WEEE) and for waste batteries and accumulators (DBA), developed precisely to make responsible disposal as easy as possible. We can find them in electronics stores, at work, at school or at specially arranged points. The InfoCons application, through information about recycling and selective collection, prepares you for this gesture; the network of collection points makes it possible.
The two complement each other perfectly. The application forms the reflex and awareness — it tells you that the product matters and that it should not be thrown away just anywhere. The collection network provides the destination — the place where the product begins its second life, transformed into raw materials for new products. For small equipment, light bulbs and batteries, the simplest solution is to hand them over to the nearest collection point; for bulky items, in many localities there is also the possibility of home collection. The essential thing is to close the circle: from an informed choice, to efficient use and, finally, to correct recycling.
Less waste, less waste: the circular economy in everyone's understanding
For those who want to understand why every recycled device matters
The circular economy is a simple model to understand: instead of producing, using and throwing away, we try to keep resources in the loop for as long as possible. Electronic waste is a perfect example. It contains valuable materials — iron, aluminum, copper, plastic, glass, but also small amounts of gold, silver or rare metals — that can be recovered and re-used in the manufacture of new products. Proper recycling therefore means not only less pollution, but also less need to extract new resources from nature.
The InfoCons app supports this model in several ways. It helps you choose sustainable and efficient products that will later become waste. It provides you with scores and information that encourage responsible consumption. And it reminds you, through information about selective collection, that the end of a product can be a new beginning. This way of thinking — in which nothing valuable is thrown away — is gaining more and more ground, including in education: from the 2026-2027 school year, seventh-grade students will be able to study a subject dedicated to the circular economy and responsible consumption, a sign that these skills are becoming part of the training of every young person.
A small gesture, a big impact: what you can do for the environment today
For all those who believe that change starts with each of us
Environmental protection does not require spectacular gestures, but good habits, repeated by as many people as possible. Here are some simple things you can do today, with the help of the app and the collection network:
- Before you buy an appliance, scan its energy label and choose the efficient option with less impact on the environment.
- Check the information about recycling and selective collection in the app, so you know from the start how to properly hand in the product.
- Never throw electrical equipment, batteries or light bulbs in the household trash — not even the small ones.
- Hand over small electrical waste, batteries and light bulbs to the nearest collection point; for bulky waste, use home collection, where available.
- Pass this information on—within the family, at school, or at work; good reflexes are best learned by example.
In this way, an application designed for consumer protection also becomes an ally of the environment: it helps you choose better, consume more responsibly and close the circle through recycling. Each device returned correctly means fewer hazardous substances reaching the soil, water and air and more resources kept in the circuit. And from a sum of small gestures, made by as many people as possible, a cleaner environment and a truly circular economy are built, step by step.
| From purchase to recycling: full circle
Environmental protection is at play throughout a product's life cycle: when choosing it (efficient and sustainable), when using it (with reduced consumption) and at the end of its life (through proper recycling). A free tool that provides information on energy efficiency, environmental impact and selective collection can support the consumer at each of these steps, naturally complementing the physical collection and recycling network. |
| Where do you drop off your electrical waste?
Electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and light bulbs should not be thrown away with household waste. There is an extensive national network of collection points at your disposal: • Small electrical waste, batteries, light bulbs/neon lights: hand them in at the nearest collection point (you can find them in electronics stores, at work, at school or at dedicated points). • Map of collection points: www.ecotic.ro/puncte-de-colectare • Bulky equipment: In many localities they can be picked up at home, upon request, through the call center 021 9641. |
| The InfoCons solution
Download the InfoCons app for free from Google Play, App Store or AppGallery, set your preferred language and use it as a “green” guide: scan the energy label before buying an appliance, check the Eco InfoScore, compare products and check information on recycling and selective collection. Then, at the end of the product’s life, hand it in at a dedicated collection point. Correct information, provided by an organization working in the consumer’s interest, is the first step towards better choices — for you, for your budget and for the environment. |
| Be informed! Take action!
Know your rights and exercise them by calling 021 9615 • * 9615 • www.infocons.ro |
Source: InfoCons Application and InfoCons Application Guide – infocons.ro/aplicatia-infocons, infocons.ro/ghidul-aplicatiei-infocons; network of electronic waste collection points – ecotic.ro/puncte-de-colectare.
