Reductions in public-sector charges for contributing to the Barcelona Zero Plastic Commitment
Organisations, economic activities and professionals that have applied measures to eliminate or reduce single-use plastics within the framework of the Barcelona Zero Plastic Commitment will receive a 10% reduction on the resulting charges.
This discount is made through the procedure named ‘Reduction of the public charge for waste collection for participating in the Barcelona Plastic Zero Commitment”. It can be processed online or in person.
Furthermore, organisations who request a reduction in the More Sustainable Barcelona Citizen Commitment will have the right to a joint 20% reduction.
The reduction will not be applied to activities that have been subject to a heavy fine for non-compliance with the applicable waste regulations in the year prior to when the reduction is applied.
Calls for applications and documentation
All organisations and economic and professional activities that have applied measures to eliminate and reduce single-use plastics as part of the Barcelona Zero Plastic Commitment, as per the cases described in the “What are the requirements?” section, have the right to the reduction.
Starting 2025, they must have signed the More Sustainable Barcelona Citizen Commitment and undertaken and published a Sustainability action on the decidim.barcelona platform.
One of the conditions below must be met and the corresponding evidence must be submitted in order to process the reduction in the public-sector charge for 2024
- Food, household cleaning product and personal hygiene companies that sell at least one-third of their products in bulk without single-use plastics or other single-use materials. Cases in which reusable containers are returned to the establishment and customers provide their own containers are both allowed.
Only commercial food establishments which are allowed to sell bulk goods, in accordance with the Ordinance on Retail Establishments and Hubs of Barcelona (2011, henceforth OECCB), will be considered. - Food establishments in groups 2 and 4 according to the OECCB, that is, butchers, poultry vendors, pork vendors, charcuteries and shops where fish, seafood and salted fish are sold that serve the food in reusable and returnable containers offered by the establishment itself or provided by customers, as long as they promote this and visibly announce it in the establishment.
- Bars and cafés that meet at least one of the three following requirements:
a. they serve at least one-third of their takeaway beverages in reusable cups which are returned to the establishment or provided by the customers;
b. they serve at least one-third of their beverages to be consumed at the establishment in containers (bottles, pitchers, etc.) which are returned and reused by the provider or the establishment itself;
c. when customers want to take home leftovers, they use reusable containers which can be returned to the establishment.
- Hotel establishments that offer toiletries (soap, shower gel, shampoo, etc.) always do so in dispensers or containers that can be reused by the establishment, and if they have a restaurant service they do not use single-use plastics or individually-portioned products (butter, jam, sugar, cereal, etc.).
Plus, they also meet at least one of the three conditions stipulated above for bars, cafés and restaurants. - Establishments and services that sell takeaway food or ready-made dishes and serve them in reusable containers that can be returned to the establishment, or that are willing to serve food in reusable containers provided by the customers, as long as they promote this and visibly announce it in the establishment.
- Dry cleaners, florist shops and hair salons that totally avoid the non-reusable plastics that are common in their industry.
- Homes for the elderly or nursery schools where at least one-third of the sanitary textiles used (nappies and wipes) are reusable.
- Other voluntary actions to reduce or eliminate single-use plastics that are prominent or significant enough, as justified by the applicant.
1. Specific request form
The specific request form (in Catalan) is the document where the implemented action is explained.
2. Evidence of actions applied throughout the previous year
Invoices, photographs, internal reports, communication materials, work plans, memories...
IMPORTANT! Any application that does not include the specific instance will be rejected.
The reduction must be requested via the procedures portal by filling out the specific request form and providing evidence of the measures that were applied throughout the previous year.
Go to the “Reduction of the public-sector charge for waste collection for participating in the Barcelona Plastic Zero Commitment” procedure (in catalan).
The reduction must be requested every year.
The reduction will not be applied to activities that have been subject to a heavy fine for non-compliance with the applicable waste regulations in the year prior to when the reduction is applied.
The time frames for requesting the reduction for 2024:
- Request for reduction: from 1 January to 4 April 2024.
- Assessment and response to applications: from 14 April to 30 May 2024, both included.
- Appeals and document amendments: from 8 April to 14 June 2024, both included.
- Review of amendments and appeals: from 17 to 28 June, both included.
- Response to amendments and appeals: from 1 to 15 July 2024, both included.
For 2025, the planned time frame to request the reduction will be from 1 January to 31 March 2025 (pending approval and publication of the 2025 municipal ordinance on public-sector charges).