Deposit, Refund and Return System
Spain's deposit return scheme: what changes when you buy a bottle or a can
You will pay a few cents extra on every single-use drinks container and get the full amount back when you return the empty. This guide explains how it works, who it affects and what is still undecided.
- Legal deadline
- November 2026
- Deposit per container
- €0.10 (expected minimum)
- Containers covered
- Single-use drinks containers up to 3 litres
Independent information portal. Not an official website of the Spanish Government or MITECO.
Quick answers
How much extra will I pay?
Around 10 cents per container in the scheme. It is not a tax: it is a refundable deposit you get back in full when you return the empty container.
When does it start?
The law sets November 2026 as the deadline. Actual rollout depends on the Ministry finalising the regulation and on scheme operators being authorised.
Which containers are covered?
Single-use drinks containers up to 3 litres: plastic bottles, cans and, depending on the final rules, some beverage cartons. Refillable glass with its own return system is out of scope.
Where do I return them?
At participating shops: reverse vending machines in larger supermarkets and staffed counters in smaller stores. Check the return point map.
What if I just bin the container?
You lose the deposit. The container is still recyclable in the yellow bin, but the 10 cents are gone.
Every fact is labelled: “Confirmed” when it appears in published law, “Pending” when it still depends on secondary regulation.
Explore the portal
The full loop: purchase, deposit, return and refund, plus what is in and out of scope.
Read the explainerFrom Law 7/2022 to the November 2026 deadline, including what is still undecided.
See the timelineSearchable map of return locations, filtered by point type and accepted containers.
Open the mapEstimate what you will front as a consumer, or the cash float and storage your business will need.
Run the numbersReadiness checklist by business type: retail, hospitality and drinks producers.
Open the checklistEverything stated here, with where it comes from: the BOE, MITECO and specialist press.
Check the sourcesWhy this portal exists
In 2024 Spain reported separate collection of single-use plastic bottles at roughly 41 %, far below the 70 % target. That shortfall started the two-year clock set out in Spain's waste and packaging rules.
The result is a mandatory scheme due before November 2026 affecting millions of daily purchases and hundreds of thousands of shops, with no clear public website explaining it.
This portal gathers what has actually been published, flags what has not, and links every claim to its source so you can check it yourself.