compliance teamThe question we hear most after "do I really have to register?" is "fine — what will it cost me?". The honest answer: for most small and mid-size sellers, less than feared. Here's how the fees actually work.
How a packaging fee reaches your invoice
Measure
Weigh each packaging component by material
Multiply
Apply the scheme tariff per kilogram
Minimums
Check any annual minimum contribution
Reconcile
Tie the declaration back to units sold
| Cost layer | How it behaves |
|---|---|
| Service fee | Flat fee for representation, filing and management |
| Eco-contribution | Variable amount based on material and weight |
| Main lever | Less flexible plastic and lighter packaging |
Two costs, one invoice confusion
Sellers often lump together two very different things:
- Service fees — what you pay a provider like us for representation, registration, and declarations. Flat, annual, predictable.
- Recycling fees — what the SCRAP (collective scheme) charges to finance actual collection and recycling. Variable, per kilogram, per material.
The recycling fees are a pass-through: they go to the scheme, not to your provider. Any provider marking them up should make you suspicious.
The Punto Verde logic
Ecoembes — Spain's main scheme for household packaging — charges under the "Punto Verde" tariff system: a rate per kilogram that depends on the material, reflecting how expensive it is to collect and recycle. Indicative rates:
| Material | Rate (€/kg) | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Cardboard / paper | 0.115 – 0.126 | 2026 household rate; exact class depends on SUP status |
| Wood / cork | 0.013 – 0.030 | Nearly negligible |
| Aluminium | 0.040 | Low |
| Steel | 0.197 | Moderate |
| PET (bottles, trays) | 0.260 – 0.659 | Moderate to high |
| Flexible plastic / film | 1.243 – 1.254 | 2026 household rate; exact class depends on SUP status |
Two worked examples
The cardboard-first seller
Say you ship 4,000 parcels a year, averaging 150 g of cardboard and 10 g of plastic film each. That's 600 kg of cardboard (about €69–€76) and 40 kg of film (about €50–€50). Total recycling fees: about €119–€126/year.
The plastic-heavy seller
Ship the same 4,000 parcels but with poly mailers and bubble wrap — say 50 g of film per parcel — and the film alone is 200 kg at 1.243 – 1.254 €/kg: €249–€251/year, plus whatever cardboard you use. Material choices show up directly on this invoice.
Minimums and small sellers
Schemes apply minimum annual fees — typically in the €40–50 per stream range. So even a very small seller should budget at least that, but rarely much more if the packaging is mostly paper-based.
Three ways to keep fees down
- Swap film for paper where you can — the per-kg difference is up to 10×.
- Right-size your boxes — lighter packaging is cheaper packaging, on this invoice and on shipping.
- Measure once, properly — defensible per-unit weights avoid over-declaring "to be safe".
During onboarding we build your material inventory with you, so your declaration — and your fees — reflect what you actually ship.
Estimate your own mix: the EPR cost calculator combines these tariffs with our flat service fees — pick your materials and volume, get an honest first-year range in about 60 seconds. New to packaging EPR? Read who must register under Ley 7/2022 first.
Final thoughts
For most small sellers, recycling fees are manageable. The expensive mistakes usually come from poor data or confusing scheme contributions with provider fees.
Material choice is a real cost lever. Lighter packaging and less flexible plastic reduce both shipping weight and the annual eco-contribution.
Use measured weights, not defensive guesses. A repeatable bill of materials gives the scheme an auditable number and gives the business a budget it can trust.