| Name of Program | Packaging Law, Deposit System Operation Regulations [1] |
| Date Implemented | February 2022 (passed 2019) |
| Containers Covered |
Containers of the following materials between 100mL and 3L:
|
| Beverages Covered |
|
| Beverages Not Covered |
|
| Amount of Deposit |
€ 0.10 |
Details
In 2004, Latvia introduced a voluntary deposit system for refillable/reusable products, particularly glass containers. [2] In response to the 2019 European Union’s Single-Use Plastics Directive, the Latvian Parliament, Saeima, passed an amendment to the Packaging Law to create a deposit-return system for disposable beverage containers, on 24 October 2019. [3] They ordered the government to conduct research into widening the products available for deposit in December of the same year.
The specific structure and regulations for Latvia's new deposit system were approved on 11 August 2020. Containers have a special barcode that will be read to be authenticated and accepted. Consumers may return containers through manual store returns, specified return center locations, and reverse vending machines (RVMs).
Latvia's deposit scheme launched in February 2022. [4] Old containers manufactured before the implementation of the program can be sold alongside deposit containers until August 2022.
Footnotes
[1] "Global Deposit Book 2020: An Overview of Deposit Systems for One-Way Beverage Containers." Reloop Inc. 15 December 2020.
[2] "OECD Environmental Performance Reviews: Latvia 2019." Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). 2019.
[3] "Bottle deposit system to be implemented in Latvia in 2022." Latvian Public Broadcasting. 25 October 2019.
[4] "Latvia today launches new container deposit return system with TOMRA." TOMRA. 1 February 2022.
Last Updated on 3 February 2022.