Spain under pressure to introduce DRS for plastic bottles
11 July 2024
A group of environmental NGOs, including Greenpeace and Zero Waste Europe, is accusing the Spanish government of publishing unsubstantiated results regarding the separate collection rates of PET bottles for recycling. Their accusations are based on a report published last week by the British consultancy Eunomia, which states that the actual collection rate of plastic bottles in 2021 was 36%, not 71% as communicated by the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition. The Ministry derived this percentage from data provided by Ecoembes, the largest packaging waste management company in Spain.
Under the EU’s Single-Use Products (Plastics) Directive (SUPD), each Member State much achieve a target for the separate collection of plastic bottles: 77% by 2025 and 90% by 2029. Spanish law which transposes the SUPD, mandates that if the country does not meet an interim target of 70% collection by 2023 then it must implement a Deposit Return Scheme by 2027 to ensure compliance with the SUPD.
Ecoembes has also faced criticism from the NGOs for exaggerating the success rate of household collections via municipalities’ yellow bins and for failing to verify the numbers reported by private waste collectors for plastic bottles coming from large venues, such as concert halls.
In response to the criticism, Ecoembes stated that the data it provides to the Spanish Ministry of the Environment refers specifically to the packaging that its members put on the market and that it is checked by independent auditors before being submitted to the ministry.
The Spanish government has until October to report the official percentage for the separate collection of PET bottles for 2023, as required by European law. If the percentage is less than 70%, Spain will have two years to implement a DRS.
The Secretariat will keep you informed for any updates on this issue.
Under the EU’s Single-Use Products (Plastics) Directive (SUPD), each Member State much achieve a target for the separate collection of plastic bottles: 77% by 2025 and 90% by 2029. Spanish law which transposes the SUPD, mandates that if the country does not meet an interim target of 70% collection by 2023 then it must implement a Deposit Return Scheme by 2027 to ensure compliance with the SUPD.
Ecoembes has also faced criticism from the NGOs for exaggerating the success rate of household collections via municipalities’ yellow bins and for failing to verify the numbers reported by private waste collectors for plastic bottles coming from large venues, such as concert halls.
In response to the criticism, Ecoembes stated that the data it provides to the Spanish Ministry of the Environment refers specifically to the packaging that its members put on the market and that it is checked by independent auditors before being submitted to the ministry.
The Spanish government has until October to report the official percentage for the separate collection of PET bottles for 2023, as required by European law. If the percentage is less than 70%, Spain will have two years to implement a DRS.
The Secretariat will keep you informed for any updates on this issue.
