| Law | Government Law 19,829 and Ministerial Resolution 271 of 2021 |
| Date Implemented | To be implemented at the end of 2024 |
| Containers Covered |
Glass, plastic, aluminum, and long-life multilaminates |
| Beverages Covered |
All beverages |
| Amount of Deposit |
TBD |
| Fees and Taxes |
TBD |
| Recovery System | Retail stores and RVMs |
| Program Success |
TBD |
Details
In November 2022, the country announced its ambitious plan to implement a container deposit system, aiming to recover up to 50% of containers by 2025. Commonly known as the Vale plan, the Plan for the Valuation of Containers and Packaging Materials was established under the framework of Government Law 19,829 and Ministerial Resolution 271 of 2021. This initiative was approved by the Ministry of the Environment through RM 563/2022 and RM 667/2022 and is currently in the approval phase of its executive project. (1) The system is set to be implemented by the end of 2024. (2)
To achieve the new required recycling rates in the country, Uruguay will have a dual system of deposit system for beverage containers and voluntary return systems for other types of plastic containers. (3) The Deposit, Return, and Refund System (SDDR or SDR) will cover both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages containers in glass, plastic (including PET), aluminum, and long-life multilaminates. The SDDR system will have a monetary value on eligible beverage containers, which consumers pay at the time of purchase and receive as a refund when returning empty containers. The system is expected to create nearly 1,000 new jobs, primarily for waste classifiers, expanding on the 250 sorters currently employed by the Packaging Management Plan. In addition to manual redemption points, the plan also incorporates automated redemption points (such as RVMs) at retail locations.
Footnotes
[1] "VALE Plan: the plan that seeks to put Uruguay at the forefront in the recovery and valorization of packaging advances.""VALE Plan: the plan that seeks to put Uruguay at the forefront in the recovery and valorization of packaging advances." Camara de Industrias del Uruguay (CIU). November 25, 2022.
[2] "Plan Vale Uruguay." [PowerPoint slides] June 2023.
[3] "A plan to recover and value packaging and materials post-consumer packaging in the country." Camara de Industrias del Uruguay (CIU). November 2022.
Last Updated on November 7, 2023.