‘Wake-up call for the Spanish Government’: fake results on plastic recycling prompts demands for deposit return system in Spain

Manipulation of national data is described as “paradigmatic” of current EU trends.

Madrid, 29 May 2024 – A Spanish corporation responsible for managing packaging waste in the beverage industry has been discovered manipulating data. Ecoembes claims a 71% separate collection rate for small plastic bottles (2021), but the reality is a dismal 36%—well below the ambitious 70% target mandated by Spanish law for 2023.

This non-compliance bears importance as it obliges the immediate implementation of a deposit return system (DRS) for cans, bottles, and cartons. The groups behind the study, Zero Waste Europe and Zero Waste Alliance, point out that DRS works in more than 50 regions around the world and ensures the reuse and recycling of 90% of beverage containers.

The groups are now urging the Spanish Minister of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, to acknowledge the non-compliance.

“This dismal 36% is a wake-up call for the Spanish Government. Just admit we’ve missed the mark! As mandated by the Spanish Waste Law, it’s high time to roll out the deposit return system for beverage containers,” said Zero Waste Alliance spokespersons.