Riga, Dec 18 (LETA) - 81 percent of the population in Latvia return all used deposit packaging, which is 10 percentage points more than in the second year of operation of the deposit system, the Depozita Iepakojuma Operators (DIO) informed LETA, referring to a survey.

However, 17 percent of respondents say they hand over most of the packaging they consume.

DIO pointed out that the most frequent return of packaging is once a month, but there is a growing tendency to accumulate and return larger volumes of packaging at one time. This behavior is particularly characteristic of young people, who are more likely to choose to collect more packaging and deposit it at one time.

DIO also noted that the way in which citizens choose to use the deposit fee they recover is also changing. While in-store coupon redemption remains the predominant method, with 81 percent of deposit system users, generational differences continue to emerge in the data. Young people are more active in using alternatives - they choose to receive the deposit fee in cash, transfer it to their Mans Rimi account or to their bank account using the dPays solution.

Miks Sturitis, Chairman of the Board of DIO, mentioned that for almost four years DIO has been working hard to make the deposit system more convenient and accessible to all citizens. This includes both the expansion of the system and the introduction of new deposit fee options.

As of November 1 this year, the dPays functionality is available in 363 sites across Latvia, where cash collection of deposit fees was not available before. This means that at around 1,000 deposit-taking locations, residents can freely choose the most convenient payment method for them - both vouchers and their exchange for cash, as well as digital payments into their bank account, the company said.

The results for November show that dPays was used more than 8,000 times in the first month, and 95 percent of all locations where it is available use it regularly. Of the total deposit fees, dPays was selected 2.4 percent of the time.

DIO noted that data from Swedbank, the developer of the dPays solution, shows that digital return options are becoming an increasingly natural choice for users. The data shows that 85 percent of the time, when the deposit is received in their bank account, people continue shopping in the same store where the package was returned, which demonstrates the convenience and practicality of this option.

The fastest growth in the use of dPays in November was recorded in Riga, Jelgava, Sigulda, Liepaja and Daugavpils, as well as in Marupe, Valka, Adazi and Ogre municipalities.

The online survey was carried out in cooperation with Mozokot in October 2025. 1,009 Latvian residents aged 18-74 took part in it.

In Latvia, the deposit system for beverage packaging started on February 1, 2022. The State Environmental Service decided to entrust the beverage packaging deposit system to DIO for seven years.

Last year, DIO posted a turnover of EUR 26.11 million, up 5 percent year-on-year, while its profit rose 10 percent to EUR 1.851 million.

The company was registered in 2020 and has a share capital of EUR 124,500. The company is owned by Coca-Cola HBC Latvia (18.07 percent), Alus Un Dzerienu Iepakojuma Savieniba (18.07 percent), Cesu Alus (12.05 percent), Aldaris (12.05 percent), Iterum (12.05 percent), Cido Grupa (12.05 percent), Latvian Retailers Association (9.64 percent) and Latvian Beer Brewers' Association (6.02 percent).