Residents demand closure of landfill over toxic fumes: “Empty promises could last a century”

Residents of Elektrėnai municipality have staged protests against the Kazokiškės landfill, demanding its closure after years of enduring toxic hydrogen sulfide emissions that repeatedly exceed legal limits, LRT reports.

The landfill, operated by the Vilnius Regional Waste Management Centre, has faced mounting criticism as air quality monitors recorded 19 instances this year where hydrogen sulfide levels spiked well beyond permissible thresholds. In one case, concentrations reached 24 times the legal limit—180 micrograms per cubic meter, compared to the allowed 8 micrograms.

Local residents describe the stench as unbearable, with some reporting physical symptoms after exposure. “You step outside, and it hits you—it’s poison,” said Nijolė Gumbienė, a resident. Another, Margarita Skvarčienė, compared the sudden surges in odor to “someone turning on a gas valve.” Four women have sought medical attention for headaches, dizziness, nausea, and blood pressure fluctuations linked to the pollution.

Elektrėnai municipality declared a state of emergency after monitoring data confirmed the severity of the issue. Mayor Gediminas Ratkevičius insisted the landfill “cannot continue operating as it does,” emphasizing that violations occur “not by percentages, but by multiples” of legal limits. The municipal council has called for the revocation of the landfill’s pollution permit and demanded authorities relocate the site.

Operators claim mitigation efforts are underway, including daily probiotic sprays to suppress odors, plans to install odor-control equipment, and projects to expand gas collection systems and seal waste piles with impermeable membranes by autumn. Wastewater basins are also slated for covering by year’s end. But residents remain skeptical. “They’ve made so many promises, they’d last a hundred years,” said local Marija Dzedulionienė.

Environment Minister Kastytis Žuromskas stated that solutions must first eliminate the source of pollution before addressing the landfill’s future. Over 10,000 residents—more than half the municipality—are estimated to be affected by the emissions.