Vilnius waste management centre announces May deadline for final landfill capping at Kazokiškės
The Vilnius Regional Waste Management Centre (VAATC) has announced plans to complete the final capping of waste at the Kazokiškės landfill by early May, marking a key step in improving air quality at the long-troubled site, LRT reports.
According to a press release, the project involves sealing the landfill with a specialised impermeable layer designed to contain odours and gases while minimising oxygen and rainfall penetration. This will reduce the need for leachate (filtrate) treatment, officials said.
The timeline had been delayed by waste stored at the site following a 2023 fire at Vilnius’s municipal waste processing plant. However, local authorities reached an agreement on 30 March—endorsed by emergency response centres in Vilnius and Elektrėnai—to remove the stored material, allowing capping work to accelerate.
Residents were also briefed on ongoing efforts to cover the landfill’s eastern slope with an odour-neutralising layer. Significant changes are planned for the leachate basins: instead of simply covering them, the basins will be fully drained and cleaned to prevent future filtrate accumulation. Both basins are scheduled for completion by mid-June.
Long-term plans include modernising the landfill’s leachate treatment system by late 2026, introducing a secondary treatment stage and technological upgrades. The improvements aim to separate process gases from ventilation flows and install additional air purification to neutralise odours directly from the treatment stream.
The landfill has faced scrutiny after Elektrėnai district mayor Gediminas Ratkevičius declared a state of emergency on 24 March due to pollution. The decision followed the arrival of 14,000 tonnes of semi-burnt waste from the Energesman plant fire. Environment Minister Kastytis Žuromskas stated last month that relocating the landfill is not currently under consideration, with priority given to identifying and eliminating pollution sources.
Kazokiškės landfill is operated by the Vilnius Regional Waste Management Centre.