Getliņi landfill could run out of space within eight years

Getliņi, the Baltic region’s largest landfill for unsorted household waste, could be full within seven or eight years, and officials have no clear plan for what comes next, LSM reported.

More than 40 tonnes of waste arrive at the landfill each day. It receives almost half of all the waste handed in by Latvia’s residents each year. After more than 30 years of operation, the waste mound is about 55 metres high, and the landfill covers just under 60 hectares.

Edgars Butāns, head of corporate communications at Getliņi EKO, said a decision on what to do when the landfill is full should have been made already. He said the space available for waste is rapidly shrinking.

Getliņi EKO representatives do not consider building a new landfill to be in the public interest, citing its effects on the climate and environment and the burden of maintaining and monitoring it for future generations. Finding land for a new landfill would also bring further restrictions.

Sorting waste is important for protecting the environment and reducing the amount of unsorted rubbish, but it will not solve the problem on its own. An average of 30% of household waste is not suitable for recycling. Getliņi EKO communications manager Dārta Grudule said recyclable waste can be difficult to separate once it has been mixed with biodegradable waste.