Spain’s new bottle deposit scheme launches towards the end of the year
British holidaymakers travelling to Spain will face additional costs when buying drinks at bars, restaurants and supermarkets.
Most Brits on holiday will agree that there’s not much better than sitting in a Spanish bar after a trip to the beach, or savouring a bottle of wine while tucking into seafood paella during the evening. Or perhaps you prefer to visit local supermarkets such as Mercadona and Carrefour to stock up on beers for your holiday apartment terrace.
However, these purchases are about to become more expensive. The popular destination is preparing to launch a bottle deposit scheme across bars, restaurants and shops nationwide, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
The new regulations being introduced by the Spanish Government will require customers to pay a supplementary charge whenever they buy a bottled or canned beverage. The additional cost, approximately 10 cents, will cover drinks sold in their original containers and will be added at the point of purchase by the retailer.
Crucially, this is not a levy but a returnable deposit – provided customers remember to bring back the empty bottle or can. The deposit fee will appear as a separate line on receipts and can be reclaimed by returning the empty container to the original shop or to a designated collection point. The machines will be installed at various locations throughout Spain, enabling residents and tourists to conveniently return their empty bottles or cans, reports the Mirror.
The devices will be capable of scanning barcodes, verifying returns, and automatically issuing the deposit refund, either as cash or store vouchers. Reports have outlined that supermarkets and retailers will be legally required to accept returned plastic, glass, or aluminium bottles and cans, regardless of their original point of purchase.
Meanwhile, bars and restaurants will modify their systems to incorporate the bottle deposit scheme. The new regulations are scheduled to take effect from November 2026, aiming to increase recycling rates and minimise environmental waste.
The initiative follows similar schemes already established in other European nations, including Denmark, Germany and Norway.
Separately, Spanish airports are taking steps to tackle border control disruption affecting British travellers following the introduction of the European Union’s (EU) new Entry/Exit System (EES).
The Spanish airport authority AENA has “instructed staff to do what they can to ease the process and reduce waiting times”, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin. According to the local news outlet, Spanish airports may redirect families with young children and passengers with reduced mobility to border control points using the traditional passport-stamping system when waiting times for the new digital process surpass 25 minutes. Airports could also manage flight arrivals more efficiently by coordinating with AENA’s ground staff.
These additional measures, characterised as “adjustments, not a suspension”, are intended to alleviate disruption for British travellers heading to popular destinations across Spain.
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