Lithuania considers declaring national emergency over Vilnius waste crisis

Lithuania may declare a national-level state of emergency due to a waste management crisis in the Vilnius region, the head of the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) has said.

The Vilnius Regional Waste Management Centre (VAATC) has temporarily halted the transport of unsorted waste to the Kazokiškės landfill in Elektrėnai municipality, LRT.lt reports.

NKVC director Vilmantas Vitkauskas told journalists on Wednesday that authorities are considering a state of emergency to better manage waste flows, which have accumulated in eight municipalities. The measure could allow waste to be redirected to other sorting centres across the country.

“We discussed all possible options to regionalise this issue, so that sorting is not concentrated only in Vilnius, with one private operator, but could be expanded to other cities,” Vitkauskas said. He added that a decision could be made next week, with a plan to implement the measures shortly after.

Vitkauskas also noted that an agreement had been reached with the Vilnius cogeneration power plant, operated by the Ignitis Group, to increase the volume of waste incineration. However, he stressed that waste must be properly sorted beforehand to avoid pollution and equipment damage.

Elektrėnai’s deputy mayor Marius Urvakis confirmed that the suspension of waste transport to Kazokiškės was implemented on Tuesday, ahead of the NKVC meeting.

An emergency situation due to air pollution levels at the Kazokiškės landfill was declared in late March and remains in effect.