In the acclaimed documentary film "Is It Easy to Be Young," one of the characters was a young Komsomol member strutting around the monument to the Red Latvian Riflemen, whom Y. Podnieks, however, portrayed not particularly flattering.
Forty years later, the magazine Dienas Bizness publishes an interview with the same hero featured on the cover. Juris Gulbis currently serves as the chairman of the board of AS CleanR Grupa, which ensures the collection and recycling of waste.
"In fact, the desire of people to live responsibly towards the environment and the EU Green Deal is already yielding results," proclaims Gulbis, a former Komsomol member and now a capitalist.
Under his leadership, a total of 61,000 business clients are serviced. "Money is often just a strong motivator, which is why the rates of the natural resources tax are increasing to encourage changes in consumer behavior and motivate people to sort waste more, while producers and retailers would switch to reusable packaging materials...".
The company's turnover is enormous: in the first half of 2025, it amounted to 68.6 million euros, which is 23% more than last year. The company is currently preparing to enter the bond market, where it intends to raise 50 million euros in investments. Underground containers for household waste will be widely installed in courtyards. Last year, 11 million euros were invested, and 8 million in the first 6 months of this year.
Currently, one of the professional challenges is also attracting labor, which is why there is a focus on cleaning robots, of which there are already about 100. "Using computer vision, they are not only capable of overcoming obstacles but also moving from floor to floor."
