| Name of Program |
Redeemable Tax on Non-Returnable Plastic Bottles (La Ley de Fomento Ambiental y Optimización de los Ingresos del Estado) |
| Enacted | 11/24/2011 |
| Implemented | 01/09/2012 |
| Regulations | Law for Environmental Promotion and Optimization of State Income (Impuesto Redimible a las Botellas Plásticas no Retornables) Chapter II |
| Beverages Covered |
Plastic bottles containing alcoholic, non-alcoholic, carbonated, and non-carbonated beverages. |
| Beverages Not Covered |
Dairy products, beverages in non-plastic bottles. |
| Refundable Deposit |
2¢ USD |
| Redemption Rate |
PET Bottles: 80% |
Details
After the passage of the Redeemable Tax on Non-Returnable Plastic Bottles, the collection of beverage containers has grown from 30% collection to 80% collection of PET bottles in one year.
In 2018, Ecuador created the first Circular Energy Center in Latin and South America, and brings together countries like Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, and Peru to support the initiative of generating waste-free communities by 2030. The center promotes the inter-institutional recycling of PETs and works with educational centers and public institutions throughout the country to promote container recycling.
In 2019, Guayaquil, Ecuador experimented with a program where residents can trade bottles (at 2¢ per bottle) for cash for a bus ticket. In the first two months of the program, 24,000 bottles were collected.
In 2021, Ecuador passed the Organic Law for the Rationalization, Reuse, and Reduction of Single Use Plastics with the goal of reducing single-use plastics. The law prohibited the sale and use of single-use beverage containers on all areas within the National System of Protected Areas, including many beaches, islands, river banks, lakes, lagoons, and protected forests. The law also prohibits the manufacture, import, and distribution of beverage containers that are derived from polystyrene and do not contain a percentage of post-consumer recycled material. Violators of the law can be subject to a fine ranging from $400-$8,000 USD. (1)
Footnotes
[1] "Ecuador: Law on Restrictions on the Use of Plastic Enters into Force." Graciela Rodriguez-Ferrand, the Library of Congress. Feburary 16, 2021.
Last Updated on September 20, 2023.