Audit finds recyclable waste still burned or sent to landfills

Much of Lithuania’s recyclable waste is still ending up in mixed municipal waste and being burned or sent to landfills instead of returning to the economy, LRT reported, citing a State Audit Office review of municipal waste management.

The audit found that the share of residents who sort their waste rose from 40 percent to 60 percent between 2016 and 2021. However, packaging and other recyclable materials still accounted for about one third of mixed municipal waste.

In 2021, mixed waste contained 240,200 tonnes of recyclable materials, but only 8.5 percent of the waste was prepared for recycling. Most of it was burned or sent to landfills.

The State Audit Office said increasing recycling and the reuse of municipal waste remained among the most important changes still needed. At the time of the audit, 596,000 tonnes, or 44.33 percent, of municipal waste was recycled annually.

The authorities aim to create the capacity to recycle an additional 128,200 tonnes of waste each year by the end of 2029. The audit office said recycling infrastructure must be upgraded and expanded to handle more textiles, furniture, plastic, packaging, biological, electronic and other waste.

State Controller Irena Segalovičienė said the waste crisis in the Vilnius region, which began in July, was a consequence of an inefficient overall system. She said Lithuania still burned or landfilled too much recyclable waste and needed to expand food, textile and other waste collection infrastructure, increase recycling capacity and ensure reliable data for decision-making.

Segalovičienė also said the system must provide suitable conditions for sorting, while residents needed to use those opportunities more actively because too much recyclable waste was still being placed in mixed waste containers.

The audit found significant differences between municipalities in the organisation of waste management. Average monthly costs per resident ranged from 0.80 euros in Rokiškis district to 4 euros in Molėtai district. Waste collection services were not available to all residents in 19 municipalities.

Since the audit, all 60 municipalities have begun applying uniform criteria to assess whether residents are receiving waste management services. Controls on imported municipal waste have also been strengthened, with measures intended to ensure that such waste is recycled rather than burned or sent to landfills.

According to the audit, Lithuania generated 1.34 million tonnes of municipal waste in 2021. Mixed municipal waste accounted for 728,000 tonnes, or 54 percent, of the total. That year, 718,000 tonnes of mixed waste was treated at 10 mechanical and mechanical biological treatment facilities, while three plants burned 472,930 tonnes of prepared municipal waste to produce energy.

A total of 480 million euros was invested in regional municipal waste management systems between 2000 and 2023.