LITHUANIA: THOU SHALT NOT LANDFILL BIODEGRADABLE WASTE

Inesis KiškisMinistry of Environment, Lithuania

Sofia, June 16, 2016

Area - 65,300 km2 Population – 2,94 million(67 % urban) The territory of Lithuania is divided into 10 counties. Counties are subdivided into 60 municipalities

Member of EU since 1 May, 2004

1,3 mln. tones of MSW

LITHUANIA

Rail Baltica – ~ € 550 million

Energy links with Poland and Sweden – ~€970 million

LNG terminal in Klaipėda – ~ €128 million

Development of solid waste management system

in Lithuania ~€302 million would also qualify

VERy fEW REAL „MEGA“ PRoJECTS

ISPA/COHESION POLICy FUNDING FOR WASTE-RELATEd PRoJECTS, 2000-2013

Total: 362.03 mln. EUR

European Commission, funding needs for the Waste Sector. final Report, 2 february 2011, p. 8.

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TRENDS IN LT WASTE MANAGEMENT

LT WASTE MANAGEMENT iN EU CoNTExT, 2014

FACTORS INFLUENCING DEvELOPMENT OF WASTE MANAGEMENT SySTEMS

Public opinion and awareness

Waste amounts and composition

Organisational and institutional framework

Social and economic aspects

Infrastructure (technological development)

Policy and legal framework(role of public and private sector, producer responsibility)

IMMEDIATE WASTE MANAGEMENT TASKS iN LT 2000-2006

- Waste management hierarchy - Landfill directive set the deadline to operation of non-compliant landfills - 800+ landfills and dumpsites were to be closed- 11 new landfills were to be built in 10 regional waste management territories

iNTERMEdiATE TASK 2007-2015

To reduce landfilling of biodegradable waste

ULTiMATE TASK 2016-2030

To implement the Circular Economy package, once adopted

HOW TO ACHIEvE THE INTERMEDIATE GOAL?

OPTION:- To promote separate collection of recyclables at source;- To incinerate everything that is thrown into mixed stream container.EvENTUAL DECISION:- The State to support the separate collection of recyclables; and- construction of Mechanical Biological Treatment plants; - Private sector to construct waste incineration plants.

MSW TREATMENT INFRASTRUCTURE

OLD LANDFILL

NEW LANDFILL

MECHANICAL TREATMENT

BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT

KEy ELEMENT - MBT

- 9 waste treatment facilities were built but the result is below expectations- design capacity of plants is based on waste statistics of 2010-2012

Actual waste stream is smaller and declining:- Due to inaccurate input data- Due to shrinking population- Due to improved waste separation as a result of: -Expanding network for separation at source, -partly due to additional economic incentives to separate

WHAT WERE THE REASONS?

The quality at entry of MBT projects negatively affected by:

- THE ABSENCE OF A CLEAR STRATEGy for the creation of biodegradable waste treatment capacities at the national level - LIMITED KNOWLEDGE and experience in the creation of biodegradable waste infrastructure- POLITICAL PRESSURE to use EU funding by all means- SHORT DEADLINES for preparation and submission of applications for EU funding

ONE SHOULD HAvE GIvEN A BETTER THOUGHT ON:

- how to handle treated biodegradable waste

from mixed stream– there are no obvious uses

- amounts of recovered recyclables are

small and of poor quality

ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS

- The expected additional waste incineration capacities were not available at the time of commissioning of MBT;

- Need to store Rdf, but that in-volves additional costs, includ-ing physical space is needed, and there are legal time limits for storage

FURTHER BLOWS TO vIABILITy OF MBTs

- Introduction of deposit - refund system for plastic bottles as of february 2016

- Imminent duty to promote separate collection of food waste will have further negative impact on MBTs

LESSONS LEARNED- Local authorities are responsible for waste management, but their responsibility for fulfilling obligations is vaguely defined;- Technological solutions heavily influenced by availability of EU grant funding and were not optimal;- CBA was done to justify the highest posible grant rate;- Need to carefully consider future strategic waste management de cisions and to adhere to cost recovery principle;- Modern landfills – pre-requisite for development of sustainable waste management system- Existence of MBT does not necessarily ensure meeting EU waste management targets

CONSLUSIONS

- important to see the “big picture”- Consistent policies- importance of reliable data in decision making- Scrutiny of alternatives- Good planning – milestones and steps to achieve them- Consultation with stakeholders, but be consistent and tough, if necessary, in pursuing the goals- Excessive grant funding is detrimental to beneficiaries

Thank you for your patience!