A textile sorting system is at our door. Who will pay for it?
lvportals | 21.11.2022
The textile industry in the European Union generates 16 million tonnes of waste every year, with only 25% of textile waste being recycled. Meanwhile, less than 1% of textile materials are recycled into new clothing.
To collect 25% of the volume placed on the Latvian market, at least 500 textile sorting containers/points would need to be established.
Latvian producers are not the largest generators of textile waste, as they produce only 1,500 tonnes of waste per year.
The costs for maintaining a textile sorting system could provisionally amount to approximately three to four million euros per year, or 150 euros per tonne of textiles placed on the market.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development has drafted amendments to the Waste Management Law and the Natural Resources Tax Law, which are currently in the coordination process.
The amendments to the Natural Resources Tax Law set out a framework for the establishment and application of an extended producer responsibility system for textile products.
In total, 91% of those surveyed support the implementation of a sorting and collection system for worn-out and unwanted textiles in Latvia.
