Latvia's deposit system adds EUR 0.10 to eligible cans, PET bottles and glass bottles. The value comes back through a reverse-vending machine or a staffed return point.
The ten-cent loop
Do not flatten your refund
The return machine needs to recognise the container. Empty it, leave the label and barcode readable and avoid crushing it. Caps may stay on plastic bottles and help preserve their shape.
The coupon remembers its shop
A reverse-vending machine coupon can buy any goods available at the point of sale printed on that coupon. It is not automatically a universal ten-cent voucher for a different supermarket chain.
The Baltic systems do not share one wallet
A bottle bought in Estonia or Lithuania cannot be returned through Latvia's system. Each country has its own deposit mark and financial system, even when the packages look almost identical.
Not every glass bottle qualifies
Wine, sparkling wine and fruit-wine bottles are currently outside the ordinary glass-bottle scope. Trust the Latvian deposit mark rather than trying to judge eligibility from the drink alone.
A return can become a donation
Automated points also offer donation choices. Decide before confirming: once the donation is completed, that return no longer produces a spendable coupon.