Denmark
What makes single-use plastics different in Denmark
Single-use plastics EPR in Denmark runs on its own rulebook, the engangsplastbekendtgørelse (BEK 882/2025), and it behaves unlike any other Danish stream. Where the others report once a year, this one reports quarterly to DPA.
The money is different too. Instead of a tonnage scheme fee you pay a per-item litter-cleanup fee, the oprydningsgebyr, recalculated every 1 January on a four-year balance principle.
Two dates matter. The EU tobacco-filter obligation has applied since 5 January 2023, but Denmark's full scheme covering eight product groups only took effect on 1 January 2025.
Who counts as a producer in Denmark
You would not expect a wet wipe and a tobacco filter to share a scheme, but Denmark's rules cover a wide spread of plastic-containing products placed on the market since 1 January 2025:
- Food containers, beverage containers including bottles, and drinking cups
- Packaging pouches, films and lightweight carrier bags
- Wet wipes, balloons and tobacco-product filters
If you first place any of these on the Danish market, through EPR in Denmark you are the producer that carries the duty.
How registration works in Denmark
You register in the DPA producer register through virk.dk.
What and when you report in Denmark
Reporting is quarterly, not annual, and each window is a tight ten days. You report the quantities you placed on the market in the previous quarter.
| Quarter | Reporting window |
|---|---|
| January to March | 1 to 10 April |
| April to June | 1 to 10 July |
| July to September | 1 to 10 October |
| October to December | 1 to 10 January |
The cost sits on top of this. For tobacco-product filters the cleanup fee was about 0,022 kr. per filter in 2025.
The fee is re-indexed every 1 January, so the rate you budget this year will not be the rate you pay next year.
Selling into Denmark from abroad
A producer without a Danish establishment meets the duty through an authorised representative, in line with the general Danish rule.
Enforcement sits with Miljøstyrelsen under the single-use plastics order, which supervises registration, reporting and payment of the cleanup fee.
The dates ahead for single-use plastics in Denmark
The scheme rests on the EU single-use plastics rules, which keep adding obligations on the product itself. Bans on items such as cutlery, plates and straws have applied since 3 July 2021, and tethered caps on plastic bottles since 3 July 2024.
More is dated. Plastic bottles must contain at least 30 percent recycled content by 2030, and 90 percent of them must be separately collected by 2029.
Frequently asked questions about single-use plastics EPR in Denmark
The points producers raise most often about the Danish rules.
What does single-use plastics EPR mean in Denmark?
Producers of single-use plastic products register with DPA, report their marketed quantities every quarter, and pay a per-item litter-cleanup fee. Denmark's full scheme covering eight product groups has applied since 1 January 2025.
Do foreign or online sellers need an authorised representative in Denmark?
Yes. A producer selling into Denmark without a Danish establishment appoints an authorised representative to carry the registration and reporting. This follows the general Danish rule for foreign sellers.
When are single-use plastics reports due in Denmark?
Quarterly, in ten-day windows on 1 to 10 April, July, October and January, each covering the previous quarter. This is the one Danish stream that reports quarterly rather than once a year.
What changes next for single-use plastics EPR in Denmark?
The EU single-use plastics rules keep tightening the product itself, with 30 percent recycled content in bottles by 2030 and 90 percent separate collection by 2029. The Danish cleanup fee is also re-indexed every 1 January.
Is the deposit scheme part of single-use plastics EPR in Denmark?
Not directly. Plastic beverage bottles carry a deposit in the pant run by Dansk Retursystem and also sit under packaging EPR, so one bottle can owe the cleanup fee, a deposit and a packaging obligation at once.
