|
Law |
Royal Decree 1055/2022 of December 27, on packaging and packaging waste [1] |
|
Date Implemented |
12/27/2022 |
|
Containers Covered |
Plastic Bottles < 3L Aluminum Cans |
|
Beverages Covered |
Mineral and spring water Juices Nectars Freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable mixes Squashes (Concentrated fruit juice diluted with water) Fizzy drinks Energy drinks Isotonic (sports) drinks Alcoholic beverages |
|
Amount of Deposit |
10-cent |
|
Fees and Taxes |
TBD |
|
Recovery System |
TBD |
|
Program Success |
TBD |
Details
Royal Decree 1055/2022, of December 7, is Spain’s main DRS law. This law replaced Law 11/1997 of April 24 as an updated Packaging and Packaging Waste Law. This law establishes a DRS if Spain failed to meet the 70% recycling target within 2 years of non-compliance of the passage of the law (only for producers of single-use plastic bottles). This provision was implemented in accordance with the EU’s Single-Use Plastic Directive, which established mandatory targets for single-use plastic beverage containers. [2] For all other single-use packaging, the establishment of the DRS will be voluntary. [3]
Ecoembes (a nonprofit that coordinates household recycling in Spain), was accused of misreporting plastic recycling data, claiming that Spain’s plastic bottle collection rate in 2021 was 71% when it was actually 36%. [4] In response to this, Zero Waste Europe and Zero Waste Alliance called on the Spanish minister for Ecological Transition and and Demographic challenge to determine noncompliance. [5]
In November of 2024, the Spanish government announced that they did not hit the mandatory 70% target, and would therefore be forced to introduce a deposit return system within the next 2 years. [6] The Ministry of Ecological Transition reported that the 2023 recycling rate was 41.3%, which is 29.7 points below the 70% recycling target. The Spanish government has until November 2026 to implement a deposit return system.
Footnotes
[1] Royal Decree 1055/2022, of December 27, on packaging and packaging waste. Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.
[2] See Footnote 2
[3] Royal Decree 1055/2022, of December 27, on packaging and packaging waste - Legal Alert. KPMG. January 2023.
[4] "Spain's Ecoembes accused of falsifying plastic recycling rates." Yahoo! Finance. May 30, 2024
[5] See Footnote 4
[6] "The government will introduce the return of beverage containers to shops to increase recycling." La Vanguardia. November 22, 2024.
Last Updated on December 11, 2024.