The Food Sector Holds the Government Responsible for the Low Recycling Rate in the SDDR System

Representatives of the food chain have urged the Spanish Government for a deposit, return and refund system for packaging (SDDR) that combines effectiveness, simplicity and flexibility, in line with the European regulation that will require recovering 90% of plastic bottles and cans by 2029.

The general director of ASEDAS (Spanish Association of Distributors, Self-Services and Supermarkets), Ignacio García Magarzo, asked the administration for “clear objectives” and “reasonable deadlines” in face of the national challenge of implementing this model, already operational in 17 European countries. According to García, the SDDR “ceased to be a threat to become an opportunity”.

The deputy general director of Waste at Miteco, Margarita Ruiz Saiz-Aja, assured that Spain is at the “key moment” to define a successful system, and advanced that the Government plans to present a draft of the royal decree before the end of the year.

The low collection rate of plastic bottles –41.3% in 2023, according to an official report– concerns the Ministry, which considers collaboration between industry and administration essential.

The sector representatives have called for operational simplification and stressed the importance of offering a positive initial experience to encourage participation.

For her part, Carmen Redondo, from Hispacoop, warned about the impact that monetary incentives could have on the environmental perception of younger consumers.

Asedas took advantage of the event to present its new sustainability indicators: 47% of commercial packaging already comes from recycled material, transport packaging is reused up to ten times, and the total waste recovery of the sector reaches 91.74%. Additionally, the carbon footprint was reduced by 16.3% compared to 2019.