Bucharest, November 4, 2025 — Romania’s Competition Council has fined five companies a total of RON 5.3 million (approximately $1.2 million) for participating in a market-sharing arrangement in the medical waste treatment and disposal sector.
The sanctioned firms — Stericycle, AKSD, Bio Hazard, Eco Fire, and Mondeco — were found to have coordinated their activities by allocating clients and territories across various regions of the country.
The fines were distributed as follows:
- Eco Fire (Constanța): RON 1.41 million
- AKSD (Mureș): RON 950,431
- Bio Hazard (Mehedinți): RON 128,227
- Stericycle (Ilfov): RON 2.86 million
Stericycle was penalized for its own anticompetitive conduct as well as that of Mondeco, which merged with it during the investigation. The authority found several bilateral agreements — including between Stericycle and AKSD, Mondeco and AKSD, Stericycle and Bio Hazard, and Stericycle and Eco Fire — aimed at dividing the market through client and regional allocations.
According to the Council, the companies agreed to avoid competing for specific clients or territories. For example, Stericycle and Bio Hazard agreed not to compete for customers in Drobeta Turnu Severin, while Stericycle, Mondeco, and AKSD coordinated regarding clients in Mureș County. Similarly, Stericycle and Eco Fire focused on different regions — Constanța and Bucharest, respectively.
The arrangements effectively eliminated competition and restricted customers’ ability to choose suppliers freely, the Council said. The fines, which will be collected by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF), are payable to the state budget.
The Council’s full decision will be published on its website after the removal of confidential information.
Source: https://www.consiliulconcurentei.ro/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Amenzi-deseuri-medicale-oct-2025.pdf
