“Are DRS results in Europe transferable to Spain?”

FuturENVIRO has published a technical article by Alba Bala, leader of the Waste Management Research Line at the UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change ESCI-UPF, and Blanca Díaz. In the article published in the Magazine special thematic issue on Waste Management, the researcher gives information about the establishment of a mandatory Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for certain types of single-use containers in a number of EU Member States. “The DRS is a waste management alternative in which those responsible for placing the packaged products on the market charge a deposit on each container to successive customers (through to the end user). This deposit is refunded in full to the consumer if the empty used container is returned in perfect condition for identification,” explains Bala.

“The implementation and evolution of DRS have been subject to different interests and motivations in each country. Although common patterns can be found between systems, the key factors differ to a greater or lesser extent in each country. All of this, added to the scarcity of public figures on performance and results, makes it very difficult to compare and evaluate the potential transferability of DRS to other states and regions,” says Bala.

“The response to the question ‘are DRS results in Europe transferable to Spain?’ must, therefore, be a resounding no. Prior to evaluating the implementation of a DRS, it must be carefully defined and applied to the particular context, taking account of sustainability criteria with the necessary scientific and technical guarantees,” adds the researcher.