Environment minister pledges to reform waste management laws

Lithuania’s acting Environment Minister Ieva Andriulaitytė has announced plans to revise the legal framework governing waste management, stating that the current crisis in the Vilnius region cannot be resolved without government intervention.

“Without the Environment Ministry’s involvement, the situation will likely not be resolved,” Andriulaitytė told the Democratic “For Lithuania” faction on Tuesday. “We will try to find a solution—it won’t be easy, but we must, because this is already an ecological disaster.”

She acknowledged that declaring a national state of emergency could be considered, but stressed the need to assess whether such a measure would effectively address the issue, particularly if waste streams were diverted to other regions. “If we conclude that this is the only solution, then there’s no question—we must declare a state of emergency at the national level,” she said.

The minister’s comments follow a proposal by faction member Tomas Tomilinas to declare a nationwide state of emergency due to the waste crisis in the Vilnius region. Tomilinas argued that conflicting decisions by local emergency commissions in Vilnius and Elektrėnai municipalities warranted state-level action, as the fire-risk situation at the Vilnius waste sorting plant has persisted for a year.

Andriulaitytė admitted that past decisions on establishing mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) plants had been flawed. “It seems poor decisions were made regarding MBT facilities, and now we face the consequences. But incineration remains an option worth considering,” she said.

She emphasised that legal reforms are inevitable to prevent future crises. “This situation shows we must improve the legal framework so that, in the future, we don’t face the same problems. We need to adjust the laws so that when such situations arise, we don’t have to debate or shift responsibility—we can act immediately.”

The minister has already discussed the situation with Vilnius city and Elektrėnai district municipalities. She described the conditions at the Kazokiškės landfill in Elektrėnai as critical, with air pollution levels several times higher than normal and persistent odour issues.

Andriulaitytė noted that regional waste management systems were designed to encourage municipal cooperation, but conflicts have since emerged. “When regional waste management systems were created, the key task was for municipalities to agree and grant them more rights to make regional decisions. Today, we have a conflict where both sides believe they are right.”

Last Friday, the Vilnius Regional Waste Management Centre (VAATC) terminated its contract with the operator of the Vilnius waste sorting plant, Energesman, and took over its operations due to equipment malfunctions, unmanaged waste accumulation, and violations of environmental and fire safety regulations.