1.1. Contact organisation
Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Deputy Directorate-general for Waste
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Plaza San Juan de la Cruz
nº10 CP 28071 Madrid
SPAIN
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
22 August 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
22 August 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
22 August 2025
3.1. Data description
We are reporting in accordance with the new calculation rules, but table 1a is reported with the old methodology.
3.1.1. Description of the parties involved in the data collection
Table : Institutions involved in the collection of data and distribution of tasks
| Name of institution | Description of key responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge | The formulation of the national policy on waste prevention and waste management, the management of the Registry of producers of products associated with waste management, among others |
| ANARPLA | National Association of plastic recyclers |
| Fedemco | Materials entity (wood) |
| Ecoacero | Materials entity (ferrous metal) |
| Arpal | Materials entity (aluminium) |
| Aspapel | Materials entity (paper and cardboard) |
| Ecoembes | PRO for household packaging (lightweight packaging and paper-cardboard) |
| Ecovidrio | PRO for household packaging (glass) |
| Sigre | PRO for household packaging (medicine packaging) |
| Sigfito | PRO for industrial packaging (phytosanitary products, fertilizers and other agricultural product) |
| Aevae | PRO for industrial packaging (phytosanitary products and fertilizers packaging) |
| Anfevi | National Association of glass packaging manufacturers |
| Anarevi | National Glass Recycling Association |
3.2. Classification system
The classification for treatment operations established in Annexes I and II of Directive 2008/98/EC is used. The most relevant categories used are: D1, D10, R1, R3, R4, R5.
3.2.1. Classification of treatment operations
The classification for treatment operations established in Annexes I and II of Directive 2008/98/EC is used. The most relevant categories used are: D1, D10, R1, R3, R4, R5
3.3. Coverage - sector
All packaging and packaging waste, regardless of the material used
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Spain wishes to take into account the amount of wooden packaging that is repaired for reuse. In this regard the "repair" cell in table 1 has been filled.
3.4.1. Types of reuse system in place for each material type
No information for the time being about details on the types of reuse system in place for each main material type.
3.4.2. Other recovery of waste
100% of the reported Energy Recovery comes from R1 incinerators.
3.4.3. Information on temporary storage of packaging waste
No information for the time being.
3.5. Statistical unit
For some materials, the producers are producers of empty packaging (e.g., industrial product survey in the case of plastics); for others they are producers of packaged products (e.g., information from registry of producers); and in other importers and exporters of empty and filled packaging.
3.6. Statistical population
For place on the market approach: all economic operators provide data of total packaged products (sometimes estimating via empty packing) on the national market for the first time through PROs, material entities or directly by producers via the Register of Producers of Product.
Waste analaysis approach doesn't apply.
For treatment: depending on the PROs and material entities the information comes from treatment plants treating nationally generated packaging waste or from sorting plants.
3.7. Reference area
Spain.
3.8. Coverage - Time
1 year.
3.9. Base period
2023
Tonnes.
Calendar year
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
- Royal Decree 1055/2022, of December 27, on packaging and packaging waste;
- Law 7/2022, of April 8, 2002, on waste and contaminated soils for a circular economy;
- In addition, each autonomous community has its own implementing regulations.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Certain information could be directily downloaded from the National Registry of Producers of Product or from the public website of the National Institute of Statistics.
Statistics on packaging and packaging waste are in accordance with the Commission Decision 2005/270/EC.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Not applicable.
8.1. Release calendar
Not applicable.
8.2. Release calendar access
Not applicable.
8.3. Release policy - user access
Not applicable.
Annual.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
No press releases available.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Spain publish yearly some aggregated data on the website of the Ministry:
- Annual report on waste generation and management
- Generation and Management of Packaging Waste in Spain. Memoria anual de generación y gestión de residuos.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
No information available.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
No information available.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
No references available.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
No references available.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
No documentation available.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Not applicable.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not applicable.
12.3. Completeness
Not applicable.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
In the past Spain faced some traceability problem which was intend to be solved in the Royal Decree 1055/2022 published in 2022 by way of creating the packaging section in the Register of producers of product. In this way it is possible to know at first-hand the information on packaging Placed on the market. However, 2023 is only the second year that the producer register has been used, so caution is still required in this regard.
On the other hand, information of recycling is provided both by recyclers and PROs, depending on the material. In the short to medium term, the information from recyclers will be directly used and it would be possible to cross chech this information with the one provided by PROs.
Data for reusable packaging is provisional at the moment, given that until now producers have not had a legal obligation to report reusable packaging information and there is still a lot of confusion among producers about what they should declare and how. However, the data from Register of Producers was used for the second time to report the reuse packaging figures for 2023. Throughout this last year, 2024-2025, active work has been done on the purification of information reported by producers, as well as as in detection and correction of errors. However, it should be taken into account that the registry is in the early stages of its setting up.
13.1.1. Statistical surveys used regarding packaging waste generation and treatment
The information in this section is to provide an overarching understanding of the accuracy of any statistical surveys used relating to packaging waste. Some of the information may be available in previous questions.
The Ministry does not conduct any survey in this regard. However, some PROs or material entities whose data are used for this reporting, used some type of surveys (conducted by themselves or by the the National Statistical Institute. In any case, Spain doesn't have the level of detail by which it is asked in this section.
| Component of packaging waste | Year | Statistical units | Percentage of population surveyed | Data (tonnes) | Confidence level | Error margin | Details of adjustments from the survey year to the current year | Other details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No information available with this level of detail | No information available with this level of detail | No information available with this level of detail | No information available with this level of detail | No information available with this level of detail | No information available with this level of detail | No information available with this level of detail | No information available with this level of detail | No information available with this level of detail |
No information available with this level of detail
13.1.2. Statistical surveys used regarding reusable packaging
The information in this section is to provide an overarching understanding of the accuracy of any statistical surveys used relating to packaging waste. Some of the information may be available in other concepts.
The information on reusable packaging comes entirely from the Register of Producers of Product, so no surveys have been conducted. Therefore this section does not apply.
| Packaging material | Year | Statistical units | Percentage of population surveyed | Data (tonnes) | Confidence level | Error margin | Details of adjustments from the survey year to the current year | Other details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| not appicable | not appicable | not appicable | not appicable | not appicable | not appicable | not appicable | not appicable | not appicable |
13.2. Sampling error
Data not available.
13.3. Non-sampling error
See the section 18.4.4., Verification of data on packaging waste generated, for the details.
14.1. Timeliness
It has not been possible to meet the deadlines due to work overload and delays in data analysis. Furthermore, there have been some problems with the informartion declared by producers of product in the Register of Producers of Product and to which an official request has been made, and they have been given additional time to complete their reporting and/or to carry it out if they had not done so. Also it is important to bear in mind that this is the second year that the data of the Register of Producers of Product has been used for extracting some information and for cross check, and this also requires additional time.
14.2. Punctuality
It has not been possible to meet the deadlines due to work overload and delays in data analysis. Furthermore, there have been some problems with the informartion declared by producers of product in the Register of Producers of Product and to which an official request has been made, and they have been given additional time to complete their reporting and/or to carry it out if they had not done so. Also it is important to bear in mind that this is the second year that the data of the Register of Producers of Product has been used for extracting some information and for cross check, and this also requires additional time.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
No information available.
15.2. Comparability - over time
No information available.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
No information available. A preliminar comparison has been started with the data of Registry of Producers of Product. So far, no conclusive results have been obtained.
15.4. Coherence - internal
For steel, and as stated on the footnote 1, a recycling rate of 106,69 % has been obtained due to no corrections of small amounts of non-packaging materials and probable "free-riding".
15.4.1. Explanation for any component with a greater than 10 % variation
Explanation detailing the causes of the tonnage difference (in relation to which waste streams, sectors or estimates have caused the difference, and what the underlying cause is) for any component of packaging waste generated and recycled which shows greater than a 10 % variation from the data submitted for the previous data year.
| Material | Variation (%) | Main reason for variation |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic | -7.23 % |
not needed the value is within 10% |
| Wood | +20.76% |
The entities responsible for the material have been contacted for clarification on this matter |
| Aluminium | +9.77% |
not needed the value is within 10% |
| Ferrous | -13.58% |
- Household packaging: Replacement of steel with other materials/packaging solutions, particularly aluminium, plastics and cardboard for beverages; Changes in consumer habits leading to lower consumption of domestic steel packaging; impact of inflation, reduction in consumption. - Industrial packaging: Impact of destocking; the supply chain started the year with high stock levels. |
| Glass | -1.66% |
not needed the value is within 10% |
| Paper and cardboard | -4.13% |
not needed the value is within 10% |
| Other | -35.88% | Variation in the reported data whose source is the RPP should be taken with caution (they are estimated data and method is still being validated) |
Not applicable.
17.1. Data revision - policy
When provisional statistics are used, they are subsequently revised as more accurate or complete data becomes available. If needed, the data are updated. Additionally, when PROs and material entities report their data for a given year, the trends are reviewed in comparison with the previous year. This process has occasionally led to the identification of errors or new values and updating of data from earlier years. This year, such a review has revealed the need to revise certain figures from 2021 and 2022.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Spain is going to inform the Commission about the data updates concerning the following indicators: for the year 2021, Al recycling, metal recycling, and total recycled; and for the year 2022, total Fe, total recycled, and total metal recycling.
18.1. Source data
The tables have been prepared based on the results of:
- the studies carried out by the Material Entities
- the studies carried out by PRO
- the data declared by producers of product in the packaging section of the Register of Producer of Product.
In the case of plastic packaging and waste plastic packaging, the source is the Ministry itself instead of the Material Entity as in previous years.
18.1.1. Waste samples from waste analysis
The waste samples for waste analysis are taken from:
| Approach | Details about the flows of waste covered |
|---|---|
| Directly from the bin | Not applicable |
| From the waste trucks | Not applicable |
| Other approaches | Not applicable |
18.1.2. Source of waste flow data for estimation
| Sources | Materials covered | |
|---|---|---|
| Waste collectors | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Waste treatment operators | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Municipalities | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Others | Not applicable | Not applicable |
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Yearly.
18.3. Data collection
Consult the following sections.
18.3.1. Description of the methodology and verification of data on packaging waste generated in case waste analysis is used
Not applicable.
18.3.2. Description of the methodology to report on composite packaging
Place on the market data for this material is distributed into paper and carboard, plastic and aluminium, according to the average share rate in beverage cartons provided by ECOEMBES: 75% paper, 20% plastic, 5% aluminium. In case of plastic it is not considered because it is lower than 3% materiality threshold.
18.3.3. Description of methods for determining packaging waste treatment
| Packaging waste material | Total | Plastic | Wood | Ferrous metals | Aluminium | Glass | Paper and Cardboard | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data collection methods | ||||||||
| Administrative reporting | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Surveys | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Electronic registry | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Waste analysis | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Data from waste operators | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Data from municipalities | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Data from extended producer responsibility schemes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Other | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Additional information about the methodology, including the combination of methods used:
As "other" Published data from other studies, own elaborations, characterizations, estimates, etc. of the material entieties or of the PROs
18.3.4. Explanation of the scope and validity of surveys to collect data on the generation and treatment of packaging waste
The surveys are carried out by the PROs, Material Entitities or the National Statistics Institute. In the case of plastic, an oficial survey is carried out by the National Institut of Statisitic (INE). It is known as the Industrial Products Survey/PRODCOM survey. It could be consulted in the following website.
18.3.5. Explanation of the scope and validity of surveys to collect data on reusable packaging
No surveys are used to collect data. This year, for the second time,the national register of producers of product has been used.
18.3.6. Detailed description of the method to collect data in order to calculate the amount of metals separated from incineration bottom ash
Calculation of recycling of metals from incinerator bottom ash : Detailed description of the method to collect data in order to calculate the amount of metals separated from incineration bottom ash in accordance with the Commission Implementing Act adopted in accordance with Article 37(7) of Directive 2008/98/EC.
| Data | Description of the measurement method to obtain the data |
|---|---|
| Total amount of metal concentrate extracted from incinerator bottom ash | The information has been obtained from ECOACERO, via surveys of the metallic content of metal concentrate output from IBA. |
| Average level of metallic content in the total amount of metal concentrate, including the reliability of any surveys undertaken | not available |
| Proportion of waste entering incineration plants that is packaging waste, including the reliability of any surveys undertaken | not available |
18.4. Data validation
Consult the following sections
18.4.1. Detailed description of the system for quality control and traceability for packaging waste pursuant to Article 6a(3) and (8) of Directive 94/62/EC
To reinforce the traceability, the packagin section in the Register of Producers of Product was created via Royal Decree in 2022. By this way, the Ministry knows at first-hand the information on packaging Placed on the Market. nevertheless it is imoprtant to keep in mind that the register is in the first stages of its implementation, and further work is required to maximize its potential and to been able to carried out the quality controls.
18.4.2. Traceability of waste treated outside the member State and ensuring its treatment in conditions broadly equivalent to the requirements of EU environmental law
| Packaging waste material | Subject to final treatment in the Member State (yes/no) | Shipped to another EU Member State (yes/no) | Exported outside the EU (yes/no) | Description of specific measures for quality control and traceability of packaging waste, in particularly as regards monitoring and validation of data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic | Yes | Yes | Yes | PRO for domestic packaging carries out audits |
| Wood | Yes | No | No | Not applicable |
| Ferrous metals | Yes | No | No | Spain only has the aggregate data for packaging waste sent to other MS or exported outside the EU. No traceability measures for the time being |
| Aluminium | Yes | Yes | Yes | Spain only has the aggregate data for packaging waste sent to other MS or exported outside the EU. No traceability measures for the time being. |
| Glass | Yes | Yes | No | Spain only has the aggregate data for packaging waste sent to other MS or exported outside the EU. No traceability measures for the time being. |
| Paper and cardboard | Yes | Yes | Yes | Spain only has the aggregate data for packaging waste sent to other MS or exported outside the EU. No traceability measures for the time being. |
| Others | Yes | No | No | Not applicable |
18.4.3. Description of measures to ensure broadly equivalent waste treatment
In the frame of the new Spanish packaging legislation, the content of the reports that recyclers shall present is going to be developed and that shall guarantee the traceability of the packaging waste sent to other countries and the treatment to which them are subjected.
18.4.4. Verification of data on packaging waste generated
The columns in the table relate to information on verification procedures used within the national statistical reporting system to validate the accuracy of the data.
| Packaging waste material | Cross-check (yes/no) | Time-series check (yes/no) | Audit (yes/no) | Verification process |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic | No | Yes | Yes (by PRO) | in PRODCOM surveys, in order to facilitate the quality of responses, in each IRIA questionnaire (platform for obtaining data from those receiving INE surveys) the products cited by each respondent in previous years are presented, so that respondents can confirm them. If there is no previous data, the most frequent products of their CNAE are cited. If there are new products, they can be entered in subsequent lines. The IRIA questionnaire has a series of online controls, which in this case require recontacts by the URCEs (Centralized Information Collection Units). When the questionnaires arrive, the first thing to see is what coverage is available and to decide which of those who have not answered should have done so (for this purpose, the VAT data for that same year, amog others, are used). Those that are considered active are imputed, based on their data from previous years or by applying indexes taken from the IPI (Industrial Production Index) and IPRI (Industrial Price Index). Then, in this order, micro and macro purifications are applied for subsequent comparison at the division level with IPI*IPRI (Industrial Production Index*Industrial Price Index) and with ICN (Turnover index) and the tables for dissemination and sending to Eurostat are obtained. INE website. INE develops quality controls of the reporting at individual enterprise level and at aggregated level. INE cross-checks the information with other surveys and with individual enterprises’ company turnover and VAT from the Tax Agency (‘Agencia Tributaria’), which INE obtains as part of an administrative agreement for strictly statistical purposes. In turn, the data by the Tax Agency are verified by tax inspectors. All these checks provide assurance to the estimates produced by INE. This INE’s access to individual enterprises’ VAT records for cross-checking amounts reported in the survey could be considered as a replacement of direct inspections on the enterprises |
| Wood | No | Yes | No | Data is reviewed by FEDEMCO once every year while the study for the following year is written and published. Additionaly, ECOEMBES verifies data annualy related to household packaging |
| Ferrous metals | No | No | Yes | Audit for household packaging joined to PRO Ecoembes. |
| Aluminium | No | No | Yes | Audit for household packaging joined to PRO Ecoembes. |
| Glass | No | Yes | Yes | Audit for household packaging joined to PROs Ecovidrio and SIGRE. Verification of the EPR information. The received information go through a comparison process with the historical information of that company, on the type of packaging, as well as units and weights, as well as a comparison with the historical average weights of that type of container. If there is a relevant difference, the company is consulted. Ecovidrio carries out an audit process through an independent external auditor. |
| Paper and cardboard | No | No | Yes | Audit for household packaging joined to PRO Ecoembes. |
| Others | No | No | Yes | Audit by PROs Ecoembes, SIGRE and SIGFITO. |
18.4.5. Verification of data on packaging waste recycling
The columns in the table relate to information on verification procedures used within the national statistical reporting system to validate the accuracy of the data.
| Packaging waste material | Cross-check (yes/no) | Time-series check (yes/no) | Audit (yes/no) | Verification process |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic | Yes | Yes (by ECOEMBES) | Yes (by PRO) | ECOEMBES verifies data annualy related to household packaging |
| Wood | No | Yes (by FEDEMCO) | Yes (by PRO) | Data is reviewed by FEDEMCO once every year while the study for the following year is written and published. Additionaly, ECOEMBES verifies data annualy related to household packaging |
| Ferrous metals | No | Yes (by ECOACERO) | Yes (by PRO) | Data is reviewed by ECOACERO every year. Additionaly, ECOEMBES verifies data annualy related to household packaging and SIGFITO for phytosanitary product packaging |
| Aluminium | No | Yes (by ARPAL) | Yes (by PRO) | Data is reviewed by ARPAL every year. Additionaly, ECOEMBES and SIGRE verify data annualy related to household packaging |
| Glass | No | Yes | Yes | Audit for household packaging joined to PRO Ecoembes. |
| Mixed waste | No | No | No | No |
| Others | No | No | No | No |
18.5. Data compilation
Consult the following sections.
18.5.1. Methods for determining packaging waste generation
| Approach | % of waste generated based on this approach |
|---|---|
| Approach 1 Put on the Market (POM) based on EPR data, complemented with estimates to ensure full coverage of the EPR data | 21.43 |
| Approach 2 POM based on sources other than EPR (e.g. based on production and import statistics and factors to estimate the amount of packaging associated to these product flows) | 78.57 |
| Approach 3 Waste analysis | 0 |
| Other approaches : |
18.5.1.1. Approach 1 - Put on the Market (POM) based on EPR
Primary sources and their shares in the total.
| Sources for calculation of PoM | % of packaging total covered | Threshold of this source(*) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Plastic | Wood | Ferrous metals | Aluminium | Glass | Paper and Cardboard | Other | ||
| EPR scheme data | NO | NO | 0.82 | 69 | 100 | 100 | 2.64 | NO | There isn't threshold |
| Administrative reporting different from EPR | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO |
| Surveys | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO |
| Electronic registry: | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | 100 | NO |
| Other : | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO |
(*) Necessity of a certain minimum amount of waste, turnover etc. to be registered
18.5.1.2. Approach 2 - Put on the market (POM) calculated from production and reign trade statistics and using coefficients of packaging for the sold goods in question
Primary sources and their shares in the total.
| Sources for calculation of PoM | % of packaging total covered | Threshold of this source(*) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Plastic | Wood | Ferrous metals | Aluminium | Glass | Paper and Cardboard | Other | ||
| Production statistics | 83.61 | 64.89 | 31.00 | NO | NO | 100 | NO | NO | NO |
| Foreign trade statistics | 16.39 | 13.97 | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO |
| Specific surveys : | NO | 13.9 | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO |
| Electronic registry : | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO |
| Other : | NO | 6.42 | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO |
(*) Necessity of a certain minimum amount of waste, turnover etc. to be registered
18.5.1.3. Approach 3 - Waste analysis
Packaging waste generated estimated by waste analysis
| Type of waste | Number of samples taken | Total volume or weight of samples taken | What proportion does the sample represent of the total waste generated (in %) |
Frequency of sample | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume in cubic metres | Weight in tonnes | ||||
| Mixed household and similar waste | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Separately collected municipal waste | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Separately collected business waste | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Others : | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
18.5.2. Information on estimates for packaging placed on the market
The figures include all types of packaging waste (household, commercial and industrial; reusable and single use) generated in Spain.
18.5.3. Presence and calculation of estimates and indication of added volume in % of the total
| Packaging waste material | Total | Plastic | Wood | Ferrous metals | Aluminium | Glass | Paper and Cardboard | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Validation | ||||||||
| Corrections for underreporting of units covered by the above sources | No | No | Yes (6.39%) | No | No | No | No | No |
| Estimates for units below the threshold (de minimis) | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Estimates for other units legally exempt from reporting | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Estimates for freeriders | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Private imports /exports by private parcels | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Private imports /exports (from journeys) | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Internet imports and exports i.e. on-line sales | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Other corrections | No | Yes (16.39% of import/export trade) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
18.5.4. Measurement points for recycling applied
| Packaging waste material | Description of measurement points used (at calculation point or at the output of sorting operation with subtraction of non-target materials as appropriate, end-of-waste criteria, etc.), including variation at regional and local level |
|---|---|
| Plastic | The methodology used is based on surveys and personal interviews, carried out by ANARPLA with recycling companies, the results of which are validated by independent experts from the sector. The surveys are based on a representative sample by recyclers (average loss rate: 20 %). Specific plastic type data is not available so the average loss rate is applied to all the recycling fraction and streams. |
| Wood | Data reference from FEDEMCO's study, by means of a representative sample of recyclers' survey (average loss rate: 6%). Surveys made to the waste managers before and after the entry of the material (wood). |
| Ferrous metals | It depends on the recovery stream: Technical Especifications for Recovered Material (ETMR)´s quality check report is used for sorting plants, 6,7% of non-target material is used for light packaging sorting plants, 16,17% is used for municipal waste treatment plants. For ferrous metal packaging from IBA (Incineration Bottom Ash), we use characterization of waste composition at energy recovery facilities. |
| Aluminium | It depends on the recovery stream: ETMR´s quality check report is used for sorting plants, 4,09% of non-target material is used for light packaging sorting plants, 9,24% is used for municipal waste treatment plants. For aluminium packaging from IBA (Incineration Bottom Ash), we use characterization of waste composition at energy recovery facilities. |
| Glass | The weight of recycled tons is measured at the entrance of recovery plants. These data have been checked with those provided by glass packaging producers through ANFEVI. |
| Paper and cardboard | For recycled packaging, we use the information of the consumption of paper for recycling (recovered paper) in Spanish factories that are published in ASPAPEL statistics. The measurement of the weight of tons recycled in Spain is carried out at the entrance of paper factories.
|
| Others | This data refers to domestic packaging, phytosanitary packagings and medicine packaging. The figure relating to packaging of "other" materials (ceramic, textile, etc.), not included in the previous categories, has been obtained from the declarations made by PROs: ECOEMBES, SIGRE, SIGFITO and AEVAE. |
18.5.4.1. Detailed description of the methodology to calculate the amount of non-target materials removed between the measurement and the calculation points, where applicable
Since the calculations are carried out directly by PROs and Material Entities, Spain does not have any example of them. Entities. For example, and for household packaging waste, ECOEMBES applies average loss rates in recycling proccesses acording to material and recycling stream. References have been obtained via a collective analysis by Material Associations, contrasted with other countries' references and, in addition, shared with the Regional Authorities' working group. ETMRs' quality control data is obtained in application of the ETMR compliance control procedures included in the agreements with public administrations, which guarantee a limited error for an established confidence interval.
18.5.4.2. Detailed description of how compostable packaging recovered at biowaste treatment plants has been identified and recorded in the data
No information for the time being.
18.5.5. Methodology to determine recycled amounts from composite packaging or packaging composed of multiple materials
Spain has not developed any methodology in this regard at the moment. The PRO Ecoembes applies the current system: Recycled amount is assigned to paper and cardboard after non-target material adjustments and effective recycling proccess for paper fibre. This distribution will be adapted to the recycling process at any given time, so that if a plastic and/or aluminum recycling process is added, the corresponding effective recycling will be computed and each material will be allocated.
18.5.6. Use of Average Loss rates (ALRS)
Description of the sorted packaging waste to which ALRs are applied, types of sorting plants to which different ALRs apply, the methodological approach to calculating ALRs at such point(s), including the statistical accuracy of any surveys used, or the nature of any technical specifications.
| Sorted waste material and sorting plant type | ALR applied (in %) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ferrous metal-sorting plant | 6.70 | ETMR´s (Technical Especifications for Recovered Material) quality check report |
| Ferrous metal-residual waste treatment | 16.17 | ETMR´s (Technical Especifications for Recovered Material) quality check report |
| Aluminium - sorting plant | 4.09 | ETMR´s (Technical Especifications for Recovered Material) quality check report |
| Aluminium-residual waste treatment | 9.24 | ETMR´s (Technical Especifications for Recovered Material) quality check report |
| Beverage Carton-sorting plant | 2.51 | ETMR´s (Technical Especifications for Recovered Material) quality check report |
| Beverage Carton- residual waste treatment | 5.36 | ETMR´s (Technical Especifications for Recovered Material) quality check report |
| Paper and cardboard-sorting plant | 1.54 | ETMR´s (Technical Especifications for Recovered Material) quality check report |
| Paper and cardboard-residual waste treatment | 1.79 | ETMR´s (Technical Especifications for Recovered Material) quality check report |
| Plastic | 20 | Average loss rate obtained from surveys of waste operators |
18.6. Adjustment
See the following sections.
18.6.1. Adjustment for impurities and humidity
| Factors | Total | Plastic | Wood | Ferrous metals | Aluminium | Glass | Paper and Cardboard | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Correction factors for impurities and humidity in % of waste | information not available | information not available | information not available | information not available | information not available | information not available | information not available | information not available |
| How the correction factors are derived | information not available | |||||||
| If no correction of impurities and humidity is applied, how they are accounted | information not available | |||||||
18.6.2. Attribution of waste to packaging and non-packaging types and correction for humidity
Description, where applicable, of the methodology to exclude non-packaging waste from the reported amount of recycled packaging waste and of the methodology to correct the amount of packaging waste at the measurement point in order to reflect the natural humidity rate of packaging (including by using relevant European standards). Aggregated data across facilities of a similar type is acceptable.
| Packaging waste material | Facility type | Share of packaging waste (%) | Description of the methodologies applied to obtain the percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| All materials except glass | Packaging sorting plants and in mechanical biological treatment plants | Not available | Ecoembes applies the control of the Technical Specifications of Recovered Materials for selected materials (in packaging sorting plants and in mechanical biological treatment plants), a limited percentage of non-packaging materials is guaranteed in the materials sent to recyclers. |
18.6.3. Attribution of waste
Description of the methodology to exclude waste originating from other countries, where applicable. Aggregated data across facilities of a similar type is acceptable.
| Packaging waste material | Facility type | Share of waste from the Member State (%) | Description of the methodologies applied to obtain the percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| All materials | not available | not available | Surveys of plant operators |
No comment.
We are reporting in accordance with the new calculation rules, but table 1a is reported with the old methodology.
22 August 2025
Spain wishes to take into account the amount of wooden packaging that is repaired for reuse. In this regard the "repair" cell in table 1 has been filled.
For some materials, the producers are producers of empty packaging (e.g., industrial product survey in the case of plastics); for others they are producers of packaged products (e.g., information from registry of producers); and in other importers and exporters of empty and filled packaging.
For place on the market approach: all economic operators provide data of total packaged products (sometimes estimating via empty packing) on the national market for the first time through PROs, material entities or directly by producers via the Register of Producers of Product.
Waste analaysis approach doesn't apply.
For treatment: depending on the PROs and material entities the information comes from treatment plants treating nationally generated packaging waste or from sorting plants.
Spain.
Calendar year
In the past Spain faced some traceability problem which was intend to be solved in the Royal Decree 1055/2022 published in 2022 by way of creating the packaging section in the Register of producers of product. In this way it is possible to know at first-hand the information on packaging Placed on the market. However, 2023 is only the second year that the producer register has been used, so caution is still required in this regard.
On the other hand, information of recycling is provided both by recyclers and PROs, depending on the material. In the short to medium term, the information from recyclers will be directly used and it would be possible to cross chech this information with the one provided by PROs.
Data for reusable packaging is provisional at the moment, given that until now producers have not had a legal obligation to report reusable packaging information and there is still a lot of confusion among producers about what they should declare and how. However, the data from Register of Producers was used for the second time to report the reuse packaging figures for 2023. Throughout this last year, 2024-2025, active work has been done on the purification of information reported by producers, as well as as in detection and correction of errors. However, it should be taken into account that the registry is in the early stages of its setting up.
Tonnes.
Consult the following sections.
The tables have been prepared based on the results of:
- the studies carried out by the Material Entities
- the studies carried out by PRO
- the data declared by producers of product in the packaging section of the Register of Producer of Product.
In the case of plastic packaging and waste plastic packaging, the source is the Ministry itself instead of the Material Entity as in previous years.
Annual.
It has not been possible to meet the deadlines due to work overload and delays in data analysis. Furthermore, there have been some problems with the informartion declared by producers of product in the Register of Producers of Product and to which an official request has been made, and they have been given additional time to complete their reporting and/or to carry it out if they had not done so. Also it is important to bear in mind that this is the second year that the data of the Register of Producers of Product has been used for extracting some information and for cross check, and this also requires additional time.
No information available.
No information available.
