Methodology

Where the numbers come from

Every rate on this site is extracted from an official publication: the tariff PDF or rates page of the statutory producer responsibility organisation (PRO) for each country. We fetch only sources on a reviewed allowlist, with a declared tool user-agent — no scraping behind logins, forms or paywalls. If a source blocks automated access, we stop fetching that domain entirely rather than work around it.

Packaging — Fost Plus (BE), Verpact (NL), PackUK (GB), Adelphe (Citeo group) (FR), Dual systems (market-negotiated) (DE), Ecovidrio (ES), Ecoembes (ES), Altstoff Recycling Austria (ARA) (AT), Rinki / Finnish Packaging Producers (SPT) (FI), Sociedade Ponto Verde (SPV) (PT), Valorlux (LU), Natural resources tax on packaging (DRN) (LV), Näringslivets Producentansvar (NPA) (SE), EKO-KOM (CZ), Repak (IE), Waste management fee (FZOEU) (HR), Green Dot Cyprus (CY), Collective schemes (market-negotiated) (DK), MOHU (state concession) (HU), HERRCO (Hellenic Recovery Recycling Corporation) (GR), Authorised waste recovery schemes (market-negotiated) (MT), Statutory product fee (opłata produktowa) (PL), ETO (Eesti Taaskasutusorganisatsioon) (EE), ECOPACK Bulgaria (BG), Gamtos ateitis (LT), Producer responsibility organisations (OZV, market-negotiated) (SK), Responsibility transfer organisations (OIREP, market-negotiated) (RO).
Textiles — Refashion (FR), Stichting UPV Textiel (NL), Natural resources tax on textiles (DRN) (LV).
Batteries — BATRIBOX (FR), ecosystem (FR), Recycler Mon Véhicule (RMV) (FR), Bebat (BE), El-Kretsen (SE), INOBAT (CH), Stichting OPEN (NL), Natural resources tax on batteries (DRN) (LV), Statutory battery levies (opłata produktowa and education campaign fee) (PL), Waste management fee for batteries (FZOEU) (HR), Ecobatterien (LU).
WEEE — Erion WEEE (IT), The Producer Register (NPRB) (IE), Swico Recycling (CH), Ecologic (FR), Recupel (BE), Ecotrel (LU), Natural resources tax on EEE (DRN) (LV), Waste management fee for EEE (FZOEU) (HR), Statutory WEEE product fee (opłata produktowa) (PL), WEEE Cyprus (CY).
Commercial and industrial packaging (non-household stream) — ARA (AT), Valipac (BE), ENVALORA (ES), Rinki / Finnish Packaging Producers (FI), Sociedade Ponto Verde (PT), NPA (SE).

How rows are verified

Each fetched document is stored as an immutable snapshot with a SHA-256 hash recorded at fetch time; every rate row links to its source URL and carries the snapshot hash plus an as‑of verification date. Rates are extracted by a human, then machine-checked (field completeness, unit and date validity) and screened for contradictions (conflicting sources, year-on-year jumps above 3×, unit mixing) before publication.

Confidence labels

official — taken directly from the PRO's own publication.
via industry association — an official document republished by a third party, used when the original host blocks automated access; content verified against other official material where possible.
market price, not statutory — a market reference, not a statutory tariff. We use it where a country licenses competing systems but one of them publishes a complete annual tariff sheet, so a real published number exists even though it binds only that system: Austria's ARA tariff is the case in point. Such rows are labelled on every table cell and flagged in the comparison table's legend, so they are never read as the national rate. Where no system publishes a tariff at all (Germany, Denmark, Greece, Malta, Slovakia and Romania), we say so instead of quoting a moving market price.

Units and normalisation

The original value and unit as published are never overwritten. Euro-per-kilogram tariffs published in centimes (France) are normalised by a factor of 100. We do not convert across currencies: UK fees stay in £ per tonne. Within a table, decimal places are fixed per column.

Update cycle and history

All sources are re-fetched weekly; changed documents are re-extracted and the site is rebuilt, so Last verified reflects real checks, not page regeneration. Historical rows are never rewritten — corrections are added as new rows under a bumped method version (1.10.0 at present). Published URLs and row anchors are permanent.

What we deliberately don't do

No advice on what you owe (reference data only), no scraped personal data, no content farm — just the tables. Coverage: 4858 rate rows, 28 countries, household packaging, household textiles, batteries, waste electrical and electronic equipment, commercial and industrial packaging and packaging taxes.