Iceland
Iceland funds producer responsibility mainly through recycling fees, and it takes on EU rules through the EEA. Icelandic EPR compliance means paying stream-based recycling fees to the fund Urvinnslusjodur and registering electronics with the environment agency, with new EU rules arriving on a delay.
Most streams work as a fee under one 2002 act. The fund collects the fee and finances collection and take-back, rather than each producer running its own system.
What carries EPR in Iceland
Packaging, electronics, batteries, vehicles, tyres, oils and plastic fishing gear all carry duties, with single-use plastics partly in through litter-cost rules.
Packaging widened over time. Plastic and paper packaging have carried a recycling fee since 2006, wider packaging EPR followed with the 2023 reform, and from 2024 the duty applies to every producer regardless of turnover.
Vehicles carry a registration fee at first registration, and tyres, oils and fishing gear each carry a recycling fee under the same 2002 act, administered by the fund.
Registering and the fund
Electronics producers register with the environment agency at least 15 days before market entry, and foreign producers must appoint an authorised representative.
For the fee-based streams, compliance is the recycling fee to Urvinnslusjodur, the fund that administers collection and take-back rather than a set of competing schemes.
Who has to comply
Anyone placing goods on the Icelandic market is covered, including distance sellers selling to Icelandic customers from abroad.
Electronics carry a clear registration and representative route, while the other streams are met by paying the recycling fee that funds their collection.
What changes next
Iceland takes EU rules through the EEA, so the timing differs from the EU itself:
- The EU Battery Regulation was under EEA review in 2026, with incorporation expected before it applies nationally.
- Textile EPR under the revised EU waste directive is not yet incorporated into the EEA Agreement.
Because these rules arrive through the EEA, treat the EU dates as a guide rather than a fixed Icelandic deadline until incorporation is confirmed.
Frequently asked questions about EPR in Iceland
The questions producers ask most, answered briefly.
What is EPR in Iceland?
Producer responsibility across most waste streams, funded mainly through recycling fees administered by the fund Urvinnslusjodur, with electronics registered at the environment agency.
What is the Icelandic EPR register?
Electronics register with the environment agency, while the fee-based streams are administered by Urvinnslusjodur, the recycling fund, rather than a separate register.
Do foreign sellers need an Icelandic representative?
For electronics, yes. A foreign producer appoints an authorised representative and registers at least 15 days before entering the market.
Does PPWR apply in Iceland?
Not automatically on the EU date. As an EEA country, Iceland takes on EU waste rules once they are incorporated into the EEA Agreement.
Does Iceland have textile EPR yet?
No. The EU textile-EPR rules are not yet incorporated into the EEA Agreement, so there is no Icelandic scheme or fixed date.