The mobility campaign for disposal of household hazardous waste organised by Riga City Council, which took place in 11 neighbourhoods this autumn, came to an end this weekend. In total, 52.6 tonnes of household hazardous waste were collected during the campaign.
Household hazardous and environmentally hazardous waste such as waste oil, waste oil filters, waste varnish and paint, mercury waste, fluorescent lamps, organic solvents, unused medicinal preparations, chemicals, used batteries, empty printer and copier cartridges, contaminated packaging, etc. were accepted from residents. Electrical appliances and slate were not accepted.
“The environmental policy of Latvia and Riga is aimed at active involvement of the public in proper disposal of waste – especially of environmentally hazardous goods at the end of their useful life. With the help of the household hazardous waste mobility campaign, Riga City Council reminds that such waste should not be disposed of either in nature or in household waste containers. A network of collection points for environmentally hazardous waste has been set up in the capital where residents may dispose of such waste free of charge on a daily basis,” says Mairita Lūse, a Member of Riga City Council and the Head of the Working Group on Reduction and Management of Waste.
Most of the hazardous waste generated by residents – almost 23 tonnes of waste – consisted of various types of contaminated packaging, such as cans with varnish and paint residues, containers of other household chemicals, etc. The amount of waste oil handed over exceeded 13 tonnes, while waste oil filters weighed more than 8 tonnes.
The campaign was organised in cooperation with the company ALL Recycling. During the campaign, from 10 September to 22 October, a special printed design Volkswagen Crafter van visited predetermined locations in 11 neighbourhoods of Riga and delivered the collected waste to the company’s recycling centre for environmentally hazardous goods for efficient and environment-friendly disposal thereof.
As reported, the environmental policy of Latvia is focused on targeted recycling of secondary raw materials and active involvement of the public in proper disposal of waste which is particularly important with regard to environmentally hazardous goods at the end of their useful life. With the help of the household hazardous waste mobility campaign, Riga City Council reminds that a network of collection points for environmentally hazardous waste has been set up in the capital where residents may dispose of such waste free of charge on a daily basis.
Information on drop-off points for household hazardous waste and other types of waste in the capital is available here. The map is available here.
Information was prepared by: Kaspars Līcītis – Project Coordinator at External Communication Division of Riga City Council Communication Department, e-mail: kaspars.licitis@riga.lv