In the third and final reading today, Saeima approved amendments to the Packaging Law, which deal with introduction of the deposit return system in Latvia and stipulate, inter alia, that the new system will commence on February 1, 2022.
79 MPs supported the amendments, while none voted against or abstained.
Introduction of the deposit-refund system in Latvia was one of the major priorities in the work of the head of our party “Latvijas attīstībai” Juris Pūce in the position of Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development.
Today, the Saeima supported a number of proposals concerning the amendments to the Packaging Law, including a provision that residents of Latvia will be able to receive cash in stores for packaging (mostly bottles) returned to the system, or receipts if they use a reverse vending machine, which they will then be able to cash in them at stores.
The amendments also stipulate that contracts with deposit system operators will be signed for seven years, not ten years the amendments stated originally, so the efficiency of the deposit return system could be reviewed, taking into account the rapid development of waste recycling technologies.
