Destination… Uruguay

Country will have the first DRS in Latin America

Uruguay’s upcoming deposit return scheme (DRS) for single-use beverage containers has been formally delayed to September 2026, following an extension granted by the Ministry of Environment under Resolution 1391/024.

The DRS is a core component of Plan Vale (the national packaging compliance plan approved in 2022 under Resolutions 562/022 and 667/022).

The plan was developed for obligated producers to meet the recovery targets set in Resolution 271/2021 under Uruguay’s packaging EPR regime:

• 30% of POM by 2026, and
• 50% by 2027 (as well as geographic requirements)

While not a PRO in the conventional sense, Plan Vale serves as the national compliance mechanism for producers obligated under the packaging EPR regime and includes both a waste packaging collection system and the upcoming DRS as compliance mechanisms.

Plan Vale is forming a consortium with local engineering firms, CIEMSA and CSI, to lead the design, setup a central IT platform, and manage the operations of the DRS.

CIEMSA and CSI will oversee container collection, transport and the construction and operation of sorting infrastructure.

The DRS is planned to include PET, aluminium, glass and beverage carton packaging.

Once operational, it will be the first national DRS in Latin America.

Track developments in Uruguay with Landbell Group’s Global EPR Information Services.