Lithuania: Vilnius waste crisis must not burden Kazokiškės landfill

Lithuania's Environment Ministry Chancellor, Vladislavas Kondratovičius, has asserted that the waste crisis in the Vilnius region should not be resolved by burdening the Kazokiškės landfill in the Elektrėnai district. "Mixed waste will definitely not (be sent to Kazokiškės), the question is about biodegradable materials that have not yet completed their decomposition cycle, but today we can say that they should not appear in Kazokiškės either," Kondratovičius told LRT radio.

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Mixed waste will definitely not (be sent to Kazokiškės), the question is about biodegradable materials that have not yet completed their decomposition cycle, but today we can say that they should not appear in Kazokiškės either.

Kondratovičius explained that Vilnius has made decisions to increase processing volumes with the mechanical and biological treatment (MBA) operator. Additionally, plans include incinerating some waste through agreements with the Vilnius Cogeneration Power Plant (VKJ) and utilizing Vilnius waste management sites. These measures aim to reroute waste flows, ensuring they do not reach Kazokiškės without completing the full biological treatment process. "We should not solve problems that have occurred in Vilnius city, Vilnius region, at the expense of the residents of Elektrėnai, Kazokiškės," Kondratovičius emphasized.

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We should not solve problems that have occurred in Vilnius city, Vilnius region, at the expense of the residents of Elektrėnai, Kazokiškės.

Elektrėnai Mayor Gediminas Ratkevičius confirmed that the influx of mixed waste to Kazokiškės has stopped and the crisis is being managed. He expressed relief that state institutions and Vilnius colleagues responded to the municipality's appeals and ceased transporting mixed waste to the regional landfill near Kazokiškės. However, challenges persist with the processing of biodegradable waste, as the company "Energesman," responsible for the biotunnels, is reportedly not fulfilling its contractual obligations to accept these materials. Other partners like "Ecoservice," "Ekonovus," and "Ekobazė" are now handling waste sorting in Vilnius.

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The municipality has sent all its letters and decisions to all institutions, it's good that state institutions and colleagues from Vilnius reacted and stopped bringing mixed waste to the regional landfill near Kazokiškės.