To reduce pollution and environmental harm caused by electronic smoking devices, Latvia will introduce a deposit system for e-cigarettes. This is provided for by amendments to the Waste Management Law adopted by the Saeima in the final reading on Thursday, 18 June.

The amendments provide for the establishment of a unified national-level deposit system for e-cigarettes with non-rechargeable batteries. Manufacturers and distributors will be required to conclude an agreement with the system operator, while consumers will pay a deposit fee when purchasing such devices. The deposit will be refunded upon returning the used device. Manufacturers will also be obliged to provide information indicating the device’s participation in the deposit system both on the packaging and on the device itself.

Over the past five years, the volume of e-cigarette waste has increased rapidly, becoming a significant environmental and safety risk. In 2023, approximately 15 million e-cigarettes were discarded in Latvia, of which only five per cent, or 0.75 million, were collected for recycling, the remainder ended up in household waste and landfills, according to a study by the Association of Latvian Waste Management Companies. Lithium-ion batteries are the cause of more than 40 per cent of fires in the waste management sector, and, when released into the environment, e-cigarette devices do not decompose, as indicated to the committee by the Ministry of Climate and Energy.

The Cabinet of Ministers will be tasked with determining the procedures for ensuring the operation of the deposit system, including the coverage of deposit return points, collection and recycling targets, as well as requirements for system accounting and reporting by the operator, the amendments stipulate.

The amendments were prepared by the Ministry of Climate and Energy, and it is planned that the regulation on the introduction of the deposit system will enter into force on 1 February next year.

Saeima Press Service