Spain will implement a system to return plastic bottles in exchange for money

This is the conclusion reached by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition after verifying that currently the separate collection of single-use bottles in 2023 it barely reached 41.3%. The Waste Law established that in 2023 Spain should have reached 70% separate collection of plastic bottles, something that is now done through the yellow container. If not, the legislation says, “a deposit, refund and return system will be implemented throughout the territory within two years for these containers that guarantees compliance with the objectives in 2025.”

Ecological Transition had been trying for months to make the most accurate calculation possible on the level of recycling of single-use bottles less than 3 liters in capacity, collecting market and recycling data from both local entities and private entities. The problem was that, until now, there were no such specific figures, since the collection of plastic waste in general was studied. In view of the actual recycling percentage obtained, «must be implemented throughout the national territory and within two years, a deposit, return and return system (hereinafter SDDR)”, concludes the report published by Ecological Transition.

The SDDR system is based on selling water, beers, juices and soft drinks, with a small extra economic amount (10 or 20 cents, for example) that the person recovers in full by returning cans, bottles or cartons to the store for correct reuse or recycling, explains Greenpeace.

“This is done in the most advanced countries in the world,” explains Greenpeace plastics manager Julio Barea, who estimates that 16 European states apply it. In these countries, he says, It already recovers more than 80% of the packaging. The ministry’s conclusions, he explains, agree with the environmental entities, which have been ensuring for more than 15 years that the figures provided by Ecoembes (the entity to which large producers and distributors entrust this management) are false. “We will be monitoring that the law is complied with,” warns Barea, in addition to trying to include other products such as glass.

Bottles, bricks and cans

The royal decree on packaging that develops the law establishes that this return and return system will affect single-use plastic bottles of up to 3 liters of capacity for mineral and spring water products, juices, nectars, fruit mixtures and freshly squeezed vegetables, concentrates for dissolution, refreshing, energy, isotonic drinks and alcoholic beverages. To guarantee the technical, environmental and economic viability of the implementation of these systems, the regulation says, in addition to plastic bottles, cans and cardboard beverage containers for these products will be included.

The same regulation establishes that producers will bear the first payment of the deposit, which will be freely set by the extended producer responsibility systems in an amount equal to or greater than 10 euro cents, for each unit of beverage packaging that they introduce into the state market.