Elektrėnai municipality to urgently cover 14,000 tonnes of waste at Kazokiškės landfill

Local authorities in Elektrėnai have decided to urgently cover 14,000 tonnes of semi-combustible waste at the Kazokiškės landfill, mayor Gediminas Ratkevičius announced on Saturday, citing extreme environmental pollution risks.

In a joint session on Monday, emergency response centres from Vilnius city and Elektrėnai municipality assessed the situation and approved the measure to mitigate contamination from a waste-sorting fire last year, Ratkevičius wrote on Facebook. “Under normal circumstances, this waste would be gradually removed over at least eight months,” he stated, “but the current situation demands swift and decisive action.”

The mayor emphasised that the decision, unanimously supported by all institutions involved, targets one of the largest sources of pollution—open waste threatening both the environment and public health. Authorities are implementing all necessary measures to minimise environmental impact and resolve the crisis as quickly as possible.

Last week, Ratkevičius declared a state of emergency in the municipality due to pollution at Kazokiškės and announced plans to request government assistance in finding a new landfill site. Environment Minister Kastytis Žuromskas confirmed that relocation is not currently under consideration, with efforts focused on identifying and eliminating the pollution source.

The landfill is managed by the Vilnius Region Waste Management Centre (VAATC). Recent data from a newly installed air quality monitoring station in Kazokiškės revealed that hydrogen sulphide levels exceeded permissible limits 18 times this winter, with concentrations ranging from 1.5 to 24 times above the threshold.

VAATC has previously reported ongoing measures to reduce emissions, including accelerating a project to cap the landfill—initially launched last autumn—to contain odours and expand gas collection systems.