After a fire at a waste management plant, a state of emergency has been declared throughout Vilnius, says the mayor of the capital Valdas BenkunskasAccording to him, the institutions must agree on how to temporarily dispose of the capital's residents' waste until the factory is cleaned up.
"A state of emergency has been declared throughout Vilnius due to waste management challenges. We are talking to private entities, carriers who work with waste and have their own private sorting lines, to make maximum use of them, so that municipal waste is sorted and can be burned in a cogeneration power plant," said V. Benskunskas.
"A second option may be temporarily used - unsorted waste may be burned at the Vilnius cogeneration power plant for some time. The institutions must agree on an emergency situation and make all decisions to ensure that such an option exists. In an emergency, waste can be disposed of in a landfill - such an option is considered the last option," he emphasized.
According to the mayor, decisions are currently being made on how to ensure that the waste management system does not stop.
"In Vilnius, about 400 tons of mixed municipal waste are collected per day. The entire waste management chain has collapsed. One of the essential parts - the sorting facilities - is not working, we cannot say how long they will not work. We must ensure that smooth waste management continues in these circumstances," he said. V. Benkunskas.
"There may be several scenarios where some waste will be managed in one way, others in another - we will announce them in the near future," the mayor emphasized.
According to him, residents of the capital should not feel any changes due to the emergency situation.
"Our main task is to ensure that waste management continues to be ensured, that waste collection from residents does not stall, and that its management and final disposal are as efficient and smooth as possible," said V. Benkunskas.
"We are doing everything we can to ensure that people do not feel deprived, either in terms of service quality or pricing," he emphasized.
ELTA reminds you that on Sunday morning, a huge explosion occurred at the large Energesman waste management plant on Jočionyų Street in Vilnius. fire. The report was received at 7:49 a.m. 10 minutes later, when firefighters arrived at the scene, a metal hangar, where mechanical and biological processing of municipal waste is carried out, was burning with open flames. There were no people in the building.
The fire was extinguished on Sunday by over 60 firefighters from Vilnius, Panevėžys, Utena and Anykščiai. 13 tanker trucks and 10 special vehicles – lifts, ladders, a water transport truck, a respiratory protection apparatus truck, a mobile sewage pump, fire hose trucks, etc. – arrived at the fire scene.
On Sunday, at 17.30:8 p.m., the fire was localized, and firefighting operations continued throughout the night. XNUMX company employees with forklifts worked alongside the firefighters. Employees of the Environmental Protection Department, police, and the Emergency Medical Service were also on duty at the headquarters throughout the night.
Law enforcement officials have launched a pre-trial investigation into this massive fire at the Energesman waste sorting company in Gariūnai. The investigation was initiated for violations of environmental protection or natural resource use rules, or the maintenance or use of structures that use or store hazardous materials or contain potentially hazardous equipment or conduct hazardous activities.
Martyna Pikelytė (ELTA)
