In Latvia, there are about 1.27 million mailboxes, and only about 90,000 do not fulfill their duty: according to a survey by Latvijas Pasts, the Latvian post service, many are unsuitable for receiving envelopes and packages delivered to their homes.

What are the most frequent problems? They do not have a closure and therefore the correspondence is unsafe, or they are damaged and unusable, or they do not have the indications of the landlord and the address. In short, this is also why the work of postmen often turns into solving a puzzle.

Zemgale region in recent days has highlighted how postmen have to extricate themselves from damaged mailboxes, installed incorrectly or hidden by bushes and various vegetation. But the main complication is when the mailboxes do not open or do not show the correct address: it happens to see letter carriers with multiple addresses or with crossed-out and hand-corrected indications. In short, confusion reigns supreme.

In addition, most Latvians do not lock their mailboxes, which exposes mail to a risk of theft.

So when faced with open boxes and wrong addresses, postmen do not know where to leave their packages. In Tukums, a town of about sixteen thousand inhabitants, there are 29,510 addresses, but about 1,660 mailboxes are damaged, inadequate, or not installed at all.

Moreover, the importance of having well-sealed mailboxes protected from rainfall is especially important in autumn and winter, considering the climate of the Baltic Republic. It is also important that the letterbox is located in a known place and accessible to the postman.

However, Latvijas Pasts pointed out that the responsibility for the condition of the mailbox always lies with the owner. It looks like there’s an open opportunity to make the service more modern and efficient. Is any foreign company interested in the challenge?