Elektrėnai mayor rejects Vilnius waste disposal decision

Elektrėnai municipality mayor Gediminas Ratkevičius has stated that a decision by Vilnius authorities to transport unsorted household waste to the Kazokiškės landfill does not apply to his municipality’s territory, LRT reports.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Ratkevičius said he received notification at 18:44 on Wednesday from the director of the Vilnius Regional Waste Management Centre (VAATC) that Vilnius emergency operations leadership had decided to send unsorted household waste to the regional landfill.

“I must emphasize that decisions by Vilnius city municipality institutions cannot be enforced in Elektrėnai municipality territory. The authority of emergency operations leaders is territorial—each municipality makes decisions only within its own boundaries,” the mayor said.

In response, Ratkevičius announced he would convene an emergency meeting of Elektrėnai’s Emergency Operations Centre on Thursday to discuss declaring a new state of emergency in the municipality. The meeting will consider banning the transport of unsorted household waste to the regional landfill and explore solutions, including increasing waste incineration capacity or other measures.

An existing state of emergency due to pollution at the Kazokiškės landfill, declared by Ratkevičius on March 24, remains in effect. The Environmental Protection Department (AAD) has stated that VAATC failed to comply with an order to stop excessive hydrogen sulfide pollution at the site. The department now plans to seek a court order to enforce compliance.

In late March, Elektrėnai municipality also decided to cover 14,000 tons of semi-burnt waste at the landfill, a remnant of a fire at the “Energesman” waste processing plant. Acting Environment Minister Kastytis Žuromskas said at the time that removing the landfill was not under consideration, with the priority being to identify and eliminate the source of pollution.

In mid-June, VAATC told ELTA it was continuing long-term measures to reduce odors and emissions. The company reported that about 70% of the eastern landfill slope had been covered with a biological layer to neutralize odors, which it estimated could reduce odor-causing gas emissions by 70–90%. VAATC said it planned to complete covering the eastern slope by June 30, expand its gas collection system by the end of July, and modernize leachate treatment equipment by November.