From December 2022, when you hand in your deposit bottles and cans, you can choose whether to spend your refund money in a shop or donate it to a good cause.
"People choose which direction to donate to, we see exactly to the last cent how much each direction has received each month and we transfer this money to "Ziedot.lv" once a month," explained Miks Stūrītis, Chairman of the Board of "Deposit packaging operator" (DIO) Ltd.
Last year, the donated deposit helped 2410 animals in six Latvian shelters.
A total of 143 687 euros and 80 cents were donated between December 2022 and 2023. The amount was divided almost equally between the association "Otrā māja dzīvniekiem", the association "Astes un ūsas", the association "Kristīne Čilvere Animal Friends", the association "Cat Help Center "Remi"", the association "Juglas Animal Protection Group" and the association "Dzīvnieku pansija "Ulubele"".
"The animal shelters have been selected according to the principle that they must be registered with the Food and Veterinary Service (FVS) and be non-profit with public benefit status," said Rūta Dimanta, head of the charity portal "Ziedot.lv".
Six shelters in Latvia met these conditions: four in Riga, one in Alūksne and one in Latgale.
The head of Ziedot.lv stressed that animal shelters are also carefully checked for what purposes they use donations.
"We only transfer money when all the documentation has been checked. The shelters use this money to help the shelter residents. So food, veterinary care, chipping, electricity and water, and various other things that are necessary for the shelters to run successfully and where there is not enough funding, for example from the municipality," Dimanta explained.
One of the animal protection organizations that received EUR 24,000 last year to support the shelter's residents thanks to a donated deposit is the association "Ulubele"".
Ilze Džonsone, its manager, told the program that the charity organization "Ziedot.lv", with which the society has a contract, announces once a quarter the amount for which it is possible to qualify.
"Then we submit all the acts of execution and invoices and delivery notes to Ziedot.lv. This is, of course, a very big boost. If it used to be EUR 8,000 a quarter, unfortunately now it has gone down to EUR 5,000 a quarter, but it is still a very big boost," said Džonsone.
The Ulubele shelter currently has more than 1,500 animals. The donation has helped with the treatment of both sick cats and dogs, as well as partially covering the electricity costs.
The Deposit Packaging Operator stressed that every cent donated through the deposit packaging machine reaches the recipient. Currently, deposit refunds can be donated not only to animal shelters, but also to Ukraine, seriously ill Latvian children and seniors in need.
