As BNS informed, the representative of the Ministry of Environment Ramunė Muzikevičiūtė-Narmontienė said that the remote meeting is organized at the request of the Lithuanian Association of Regional Waste Management Centers.
“To clarify the situation,” BNS said R. Muzikevičiūtė-Narmontienė.
The meeting will not be attended by the vacationing Minister of Environment Ieva Andriulaitytė – the ministry will be represented by Deputy Minister Giedrė Ričkutė.
BNS wrote that the waste crisis in the Vilnius region arose due to last year’s fire at the Vilnius waste sorting plant, which has not yet resumed operations, and the reduction of waste incineration volumes at the VKJ.
The mayor of Druskininkai, Ričardas Malinauskas, warned on Friday that an emergency situation is brewing in the Alytus region because of this. According to him, since the beginning of August, VKJ no longer accepts sorted waste from the Alytus region because the power plant has been instructed to prioritize incinerating waste from the Vilnius region.
The director of the Alytus Regional Waste Management Center (ARATC), Aurimas Uldukis, said that without exceeding pollution limits, the company can store waste on its premises for about another month. He said he hopes to hear answers on Monday about how it will be ensured that excess waste does not accumulate in the Alytus region.
As BNS wrote, to solve the Vilnius region crisis, efforts are being made to increase the waste incineration capacity of VKJ. VKJ representatives previously told BNS that currently up to 450 tons are incinerated per day, but capacity is limited due to ongoing repairs.
At the end of July, VKJ head Mantas Burokas told BNS that the maximum capacity of the power plant could be increased by about 33–43% – from 420 to 600 tons of waste per day. About 700 tons of waste are generated daily in Vilnius County.
I. Andriulaitytė previously said that consultations with VKJ will be held regarding increased incineration capacity.
Meanwhile, the mayor of the capital, Valdas Benkunskas, said that the waste crisis will be resolved by increasing the volume of waste incineration at VKJ, which burns less waste in the summer, the non-heating season.
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