Waste crisis in Vilnius region may lead to national state of emergency

Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) is considering declaring a national state of emergency due to the unresolved waste management crisis in the Vilnius region, LRT.lt reports.

The Vilnius Regional Waste Management Centre (VAATC) has temporarily halted the transport of unsorted waste to the Kazokiškės landfill in Elektrėnai municipality, where an emergency was declared in late March due to high air pollution levels. The crisis has drawn criticism from politicians, who blame Vilnius authorities for failing to properly sort food waste, risking the loss of EU funding.

NKVC director Vilmantas Vitkauskas said a state of emergency could help manage waste flows more effectively by redirecting them to other sorting facilities across the country. “We are leaning towards declaring a state of emergency at the national level to address the problem that has accumulated in eight municipalities,” he told reporters after meeting with representatives of institutions and local governments.

Vitkauskas added that the declaration could come as early as next week, allowing waste to be diverted to other sorting centres with available capacity. However, he acknowledged that transporting waste to alternative facilities may increase logistics costs.

A separate agreement has been reached with the Vilnius cogeneration power plant, operated by the Ignitis Group, to increase the incineration of waste. Vitkauskas stressed that proper sorting and preparation of waste for incineration would be crucial to avoid pollution and equipment damage.

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