Mercadona has confirmed it will not introduce the 10-cent deposit for beverage containers in Spain until further notice. Despite new EU rules, the supermarket giant says no official start date or system details have been set for Spanish stores.
Shoppers hoping to reclaim a 10-cent deposit for returning bottles and cans at Mercadona will have to wait. The supermarket chain has clarified that there is still no official date for launching the deposit, return, and refund system in its Spanish stores, despite the European regulation on packaging coming into effect in August 2026.
Mercadona addressed the issue after a customer inquiry on August 12, 2026—the day the EU's new packaging rules began to apply across Europe. However, the company stressed that the regulation does not trigger automatic deposit charges in Spain. Instead, Spanish law sets a separate legal deadline, currently pointing to November 2026, following a two-year window from the government’s formal notification of non-compliance in November 2024.
Uncertainty Over Implementation
In its official response, Mercadona stated that the rollout is still under review by the affected sectors and that no timeline has been confirmed. The company has not revealed when the deposit will be added to prices, how refunds will be processed, or how many return machines will be installed in Spanish stores. Details such as which locations will participate and whether returns will be handled by machines or staff remain undecided.
Mercadona already operates a similar system in Portugal, where customers can recover 10 cents for returning marked beverage containers. The Portuguese 'Volta' program, launched in April 2026, allows refunds via ticket, digital transfer, or donation. However, this model cannot be directly copied to Spain, where operational rules and a deployment calendar are still pending.
Legal Framework: Minimum, Not Fixed, Deposit
Spanish law, specifically Royal Decree 1055/2022, does not set a fixed 10-cent deposit. Instead, it establishes a minimum: the deposit must be at least €0.10 per eligible beverage container, but the final amount could be higher. The system operator will also determine how deposits, refunds, and compensation between producers and retailers are managed.
The deposit is designed as a refundable guarantee, not a lost payment. Consumers will pay the deposit at purchase and can reclaim it by returning the container at an approved point. The law covers plastic bottles up to three liters for water, juices, soft drinks, energy and isotonic drinks, and alcoholic beverages, as well as cans and beverage cartons in those categories. Other single-use containers may be included voluntarily but are not automatically subject to the deposit.
EU Regulation and Spanish Deadlines
The EU packaging regulation took effect on February 11, 2025, with general application from August 12, 2026. Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition (MITECO) has clarified that some obligations have later deadlines and that a new royal decree is being prepared to align national rules with the EU framework. The European regulation alone does not activate deposit charges or return machines in Spain. The EU requires member states to achieve a 90% separate collection rate for beverage containers by January 1, 2029, at the latest.
Spain faces an earlier deadline due to missing its 2023 national collection target—achieving only 41.3% against the required 70%. As a result, a national deposit system must be implemented within two years of the November 2024 notification, setting the legal limit at November 2026. Still, Mercadona has not announced any operational date.
How Returns Will Work—and What to Do Now
Key details remain unresolved: whether refunds will be issued as cash, vouchers, card credits, or other methods, and whether all machines will accept containers from any retailer. The royal decree leaves the design of return points open, allowing for retail stores, containers, dedicated centers, or other authorized channels. EU rules generally require systems to accept containers of the same material and format sold, and to refund deposits without demanding proof of purchase.
Until the system is in place, consumers should continue following local recycling instructions and should not expect to pay or reclaim a deposit automatically. Once the deposit system launches, eligible containers will carry a clear mark indicating a refundable deposit. The key signals will be the new labeling, the deposit charge at checkout, and official communication from the system operator—not just the EU regulation date.
For those interested in how regulatory changes can impact everyday finances in Spain, a recent report on new unemployment subsidy rules highlights similar complexities in the rollout of national policies.
As of now, Mercadona customers in Spain will see no change at the checkout, and the timeline for deposit refunds remains uncertain. The coming months are likely to bring more clarity as both government and retailers finalize the details of the new system.
