Vilnius waste crisis at a standstill as political blame grows
Wednesday 15th July 2026 on 10:15 in
Lithuania
Vilnius is facing a deepening waste management crisis, with politicians accusing city authorities of failing to address unsegregated food waste—a problem that could cost the capital its EU funding, LRT.lt reports.
An extreme pollution alert was declared days ago at the Kazokiškės landfill in Elektrėnai municipality due to high air pollution levels, which former Environment Minister Simonas Gentvilas attributes to unsegregated food waste transported from Vilnius. The new Environment Minister, Ieva Andriulaitytė, has pledged to seek solutions, though no concrete measures have been announced.
Gentvilas, now a Liberal Movement MP, criticised Vilnius municipality for leaving food waste sorting containers locked, despite receiving around €5 million in EU funds for their installation. He argued that the containers, meant to be unlocked in early July last year, remain inaccessible, forcing residents to dispose of food waste in mixed waste bins. This, he claims, risks the loss of EU funding for the city.
“You can turn to the Environmental Protection Agency (APVA) and ask them to issue a mandatory order to Vilnius municipality. EU funding should already be withdrawn from Vilnius because the containers are locked,” Gentvilas said.
He also called for the abolition of what he described as a “fictitious bag system,” referring to the orange bags introduced in early 2024 for food waste separation. While some bags were distributed for free, residents now must purchase them, and Gentvilas claims many are not doing so, leading to unsegregated waste.
Vilnius municipality denies the risk of losing EU funds. Eglė Bernotavičienė, head of the Waste Management Division, stated that the city meets all project targets for modernising waste collection infrastructure. Residents currently separate food waste either via dedicated containers or orange bags, with the latter method now widely adopted.
“The absorption of EU funds has been carried out in accordance with financing rules, so there is no need to return the received EU financing,” Bernotavičienė said.