From July 1 this year, a new tax on plastic packaging that cannot be recycled or disposed of will come into force in Latvia. This should motivate manufacturers to switch to more environmentally friendly materials, and waste management companies to increase their collection and recycling of packaging. This was stated by the director of the organization Latvijas Zaļais punkts Kaspars Zakulis. However, consumers should prepare for the fact that packaging costs will increase, and, therefore, the finished product will become more expensive." It would be possible to process more, but entrepreneurs are not interested in this, since the minimum volume established by the state for mandatory processing is 51% ", he explains. In Europe, they are now thinking about new effective solutions that would help increase the volume of packaging recycling. In Latvia, a tax on natural resources will be introduced for this purpose. Latvijas Zaļais punkts, in collaboration with the Latvian Biosciences and Technology University (LBTU), conducted a study last year that analyzed approximately 3,000 different plastic or plastic-containing items that can be found on store shelves in Latvia. The researchers concluded that approximately 13% of this packaging is difficult to recycle or cannot be recycled at all. In turn, 22% of the packaging did not indicate the material from which it was made, which complicates the sorting process. “Packaging without markings is intended for products with a long shelf life, for example, cheese or meat. This packaging is multi-layered, so it is difficult to recycle,” Sandra Muizniece, professor at the Institute of Food and head of the department of technology and knowledge transfer at LBTU, explained to Delfi Bizness -Brasava. However, the problem is not only in the material.
