Waste management center claims control over pollution at Kazokiškių landfill, but municipality says issues persist

Vilnius Regional Waste Management Center (VAATC) states it has met the Environmental Protection Department’s (AAD) deadline to control hydrogen sulfide pollution at the Kazokiškių landfill, but Elektrėnų municipality insists problems remain, LRT reports.

According to VAATC communications partner Regina Janutienė, key measures were implemented by the June 10 deadline set by the AAD. These included covering the landfill’s waste heaps with an impermeable film, cleaning the filtrate reservoirs, installing odor control sprayers, and applying additional odor reduction methods. Laboratory tests conducted on June 4–5 showed no hydrogen sulfide concentrations exceeding permissible limits in any samples.

“The implemented measures have yielded a direct positive result, and hydrogen sulfide pollution is currently under control,” Janutienė told ELTA.

However, Elektrėnų district mayor Gediminas Ratkevičius acknowledged that while the situation has improved significantly in recent months, the issue is not fully resolved. Earlier this year, some measurements recorded hydrogen sulfide levels up to 24 times above the permitted limit. Although exceedances are now much lower, they still occur.

“The air pollution exceedances are smaller, but they have not disappeared. We still see cases of two, three, or four times the limit,” Ratkevičius said.

The municipality relies on publicly available air quality monitoring data, which showed exceedances as recently as June 9–10. VAATC noted that these monitoring stations use non-accredited equipment, meaning their data is informational only and cannot be used for official legal assessments.

The center added that long-term odor and emission reduction measures are ongoing. About 70% of the landfill’s eastern slope has been covered with a special biological layer designed to neutralize odors, which the company estimates can reduce odor-causing gas emissions by 70–90%. Work to cover the entire slope is expected to be completed by June 30, with gas collection system expansion by the end of July and filtrate treatment facility modernization by November.

Despite ongoing resident complaints about odors, Ratkevičius stated the situation is better than in spring, when an emergency was declared due to pollution. “Today, we no longer have people seeking medical help because of this, but we still receive complaints from residents. That said, there are fewer than before,” he said.

On March 24, the Elektrėnų municipality declared an emergency due to pollution at the Kazokiškių landfill. The emergency remains in effect. At the end of March, the mayor announced a decision to cover 14,000 tons of semi-burnt waste at the landfill, which originated from the cleanup of a fire at the waste management plant “Energesman.”