The significantly larger export of waste from Latvia to Lithuania compared to imports is explained by the fact that modern processing facilities have been built in the neighboring country.
While Latvia only recycles plastic, Lithuania also processes paper, cardboard, and glass. The operation of three waste processing plants in Klaipeda, Kaunas, and Vilnius currently allows Lithuania to keep waste management fees lower than in Latvia. However, in the long term, this model raises questions: the European Commission has already warned Lithuania about the risk of failing to meet waste recycling targets.
By 2035, all EU countries, including Lithuania, must recycle 65% of household waste.
Janis Aizbalts, chairman of the board of Eco Baltia vide, which also operates in Lithuania, notes that the Lithuanian system is fundamentally different from the Latvian one. Collected waste belongs to municipalities, which set the environmental tax and determine the waste generation norm for residents. The volume of the 'norm' does not depend on how actively people sort waste.
In Latvia, on the contrary, residents can choose the volume of containers and the frequency of their collection, whereas in Lithuania, these issues are decided by the municipality.
In 2023, the European Commission warned Lithuania about the risk of not achieving the next target - recycling 55% of household waste by 2025. Failure to meet the requirements could lead to sanctions.
According to Aizbalts, Latvia ranks higher in the European Commission's assessment and has not received similar warnings. Meanwhile, the level of sorting in Lithuania remains low, and residents cannot demand the installation of a container near their homes.
Daily, about 330 tons of waste are transported from Latvia to Lithuania - this is no less than 14 trucks. At the same time, several companies plan to build a waste processing plant in Latvia as well. Aitis Treijs, director of the Waste Management Department of the State Environmental Service, considers such a facility necessary.
According to him, the volume of waste landfilled has been decreasing by 10-15% annually in recent years, mainly due to the mandatory sorting of bio-waste introduced two years ago. However, the compost produced has almost nowhere to be used. Some technical compost is used to cover landfill mounds, but a significant portion ultimately ends up in the dump, writes Latvijas Avīze.
