Timeline and legal status
These are the dates that explain why the SDDR is arriving now, and what is still missing before it actually works.
Every fact is labelled: “Confirmed” when it appears in published law, “Pending” when it still depends on secondary regulation.
- Confirmed
Law 7/2022 on waste and contaminated soil
Sets separate collection targets for single-use plastic bottles and provides for a mandatory deposit scheme if they are missed.
- Confirmed
Royal Decree 1055/2022 on packaging and packaging waste
Details the targets — 70 % separate collection by 2023 and 85 % by 2027 — and the trigger mechanism for the deposit scheme.
- Confirmed
Spain reports about 41 % separate collection
Well below the required 70 %. From that point the two-year window to deploy the SDDR began.
- Pending
Operators formed, regulation in progress
Scheme management bodies are set up and regional authorisations are processed, on uneven timetables across regions.
- Confirmed
Legal implementation deadline
This is the ceiling set by Spanish law. Various industry bodies argue for later dates on operational grounds, but the legal deadline in force remains this one.
- Confirmed
85 % separate collection target
The next milestone in the rules, which the SDDR is meant to help reach.
What is still undecided
- The definitive list of containers and drink categories in scope.
- The exact deposit amount by format and material.
- The floor-area threshold above which a shop must accept returns.
- The handling fees retailers will receive.
- The real operational timetable: regional authorisations and machine rollout.