No state of emergency declared over Lithuania’s waste crisis, says environment minister

Lithuania will not declare a national state of emergency over the ongoing waste management crisis in the Vilnius region, Environment Minister Ieva Andriulaitytė announced on Monday, following a government meeting.

The decision comes despite mounting waste at a sorting facility operated by Energesman, which has accumulated over 11,000 tonnes, with around 700 tonnes added daily. The minister stated that waste incineration capacities will be increased several times in response, with negotiations underway with the Vilnius Combined Heat and Power Plant (VKJ) to handle the excess.

Andriulaitytė emphasized that the situation is being monitored, and if current measures prove insufficient, waste incineration capacities from other regions may be mobilized. She noted that residents have not yet experienced disruptions in waste collection, and local authorities, including Vilnius municipality, are prepared to engage private companies to maintain services.

The crisis stems from a legal dispute between the Vilnius Regional Waste Management Centre (VAATC) and Energesman. The minister clarified that VAATC is not indebted to the operator, as claimed by the company, and that the state has been drawn into the situation due to commercial and legal conflicts between the two entities. A court ruling is awaited to determine the next steps, including the potential transfer of the facility’s management to VAATC.

Elektrėnų Mayor Gediminas Ratkevičius, whose municipality has already declared a local state of emergency due to air pollution from a regional landfill, warned that if waste collection disruptions occur, the question of a national emergency declaration may re-emerge. He confirmed that mixed waste deliveries to the landfill in Elektrėnų have ceased since July 15, but the situation remains under close observation.

Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas announced an agreement with a third private waste sorter, Ekobazė, which he said would allow all regional waste to be processed once technical preparations are complete.

Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius convened Monday’s meeting after stating last week that the state must intervene in the crisis, as local authorities have been unable to resolve it independently.