This report, commissioned by Retorna, investigates the financial consequences of the introduction of a deposit refund system (DRS) across Spain.
The report comes at a critical time as Spain is reviewing its current waste policy, with the new Law on Waste and Contaminated Land, approved by Parliament on 14th July 2011, explicitly including the possibility of the introduction of a DRS for one-way (non-refillable) beverage containers. This report forms one of a series of reports looking at the impacts of the introduction of a DRS in Spain.
The other reports are Inèdit (2011) Análisis de Ciclo de Vida de la gestión de residuos de envases de PET, latas y bricks mediante SIG y SDDR en España, and ISTAS (2011) Estimación del empleo potencial en la implantación y desarrollo de la primera fase del SDDR en España.
Discussion regarding DRSs is often polarised between the views of ardent supporters, and those of equally vehement opponents. The available theoretical literature, however, suggests that such systems can be an efficient means of increasing recycling rates and reducing litter, though a key issue in moving from theory to practice is determining the costs of administering and implementing a DRS. There are few doubts that, if well-designed, such a system could increase recycling rates for beverage containers in Spain. The objective of this study is to explore the financial implications of the implementation of a DRS in Spain.
