The new waste management system in Vilnius. What you need to know

What changes await Vilnius residents who use the municipal waste management system in 2018?

From 1 May 2018, Vilnius City Council decided to introduce a local fee for the collection of municipal waste and waste management for waste holders.

From this date, implementation of a new municipal waste collection and transportation system will begin in the capital city:

Only one waste transport operator selected according to the procedure stipulated in the Law on Public Procurement will have the right to collect municipal waste in five waste collection and processing zones in the city.

A dual fee shall be imposed on waste holders for the collection and management of municipal waste, which will replace the previous tariff system where all fees were transferred to waste transport operators.

Legislation and additional information: http://www.vilnius.lt/lit/teises_aktai/895 and www.e-tar.lt.

When and how will current contracts regarding waste management expire?

After the fee becomes effective, contracts of all waste holders with waste transport operators regarding municipal waste collection and management will become obsolete; it will not be necessary to conclude new contracts regarding municipal waste collection and management either with waste transport operators or with the Municipal Enterprise Vilnius Waste System Administrator (ME VASA).

IMPORTANT! Waste transport operators indicated in payment notifications or invoices will inform clients (waste holders) about expired contracts with the collectors of municipal waste. Waste holders will have to pay the current transport operator for the services that were provided before the introduction of the fee according to current contracts.

All fee payers will receive the first payment notifications in May 2018 regarding the fee of 2018. Later, payment notifications will be sent once a year by 31 March.

Who will calculate the fee for the management of mixed municipal waste and who should be contacted if there are errors in the payment notification?

ME VASA will be responsible for the administration, calculation, and accounting of the fee as well as for controlling the collection thereof.

More information is available at www.sivasa.lt.

What are the advantages of one transport operator in one processing zone?

After a waste transport operator is assigned to a processing zone, there will be fewer conflict situations, the areas of responsibility will be clearer, noise made by waste collection vehicles and pollution will be reduced, traffic in the streets will be less heavy, and the quality of life will improve.

Who will receive the fee?

The fee will not be transferred to waste transport operators, it will go to the budget of the city. Waste holders will receive payment notifications directly from the fee administrator, ME VASA, not from the building administrator or the community. All possible payment methods and deadlines will be indicated in the payment notifications.

What will the purpose of collected funds?

From 1 May, the fee will be used to pay not only for waste collection, but also for the waste management system as a whole, while collected fee funds will be used in a targeted manner only to cover municipal waste management expenses. Thus, by paying the local fee, residents will pay for a cleaner environment around their homes, for cleaner water and fresher air.

Collected funds will be used to finance landfill operation, the closing of old landfills, operation of mechanical and biological waste processing equipment, Vilnius Regional Non-hazardous Waste Landfill, and bulky waste collection sites as well as for other tasks related to waste management.

How will the fee be calculated?

The fee will consist of a fixed and a variable component.

The local dual fee shall be imposed on all municipal waste holders in the capital, in the territory of the municipality according to real estate categories.

The fixed fee component shall be the same for all real estate categories and it shall be imposed according to the area of the real estate.

The variable fee component (EUR/sq. m per year) shall depend on the mixed municipal waste accumulation norm and vary depending on real estate category.

How will the fee be calculated for owners of properties belonging to different categories?              

In cases where the fee is imposed on the same waste holder for more than one property belonging to a real estate category, the waste holder shall receive one payment notification that is sent to the declared permanent residence address if the fee payer is a natural person, or to the registered office address if the fee payer is a legal entity.

How often will payment notification be sent for the management of mixed municipal waste?

Payment notifications will be sent to waste holders once per year. The payment notification shall include the amounts to be paid for the entire period (calendar year), split by quarters. The fee shall be paid, according to the decision of the fee payer, for a quarter or for the entire period.

Comprehensive information is available at www.sivasa.lt