In 2023, the State Environmental Service (VVD) carried out inspections at all ten municipal solid waste landfills, with the aim of assessing whether the operation of Latvia's landfills complies with environmental requirements and of applying a consistent approach to permit control across all VVD regional environmental boards. The inspection results show that the proportion of landfilled waste relative to the waste accepted at the landfills remained substantial, namely 47.3%.
Among other things, a considerable quantity of packaging material that would be suitable for recycling ends up at landfills and is disposed of there. In 2022, packaging material accounted for 2.27% of the total volume of waste landfilled. At the same time, the European Union has determined that from 2035 only 10% of municipal waste may be landfilled, which Latvia has set as one of the targets to be achieved in the National Waste Management Plan for 2021–2028.
On 6 June this year, the VVD met with the Latvian Waste Management Association (LASUA). During the meeting, LASUA members were briefed on the results of the VVD's 2023 inspections of municipal solid waste landfills and on the actions planned going forward, and possible amendments to legislation concerning the requirements for producing technical compost at landfills were also discussed.
This was the first time the VVD had carried out landfill inspections of this kind, and their purpose was accordingly to establish the current situation using a consistent inspection approach. The inspection results will also be used in further discussions with operators in order to ensure that landfills operate efficiently and in compliance with environmental requirements.
Following the inspections, a number of problem areas were identified in the operation of landfills, relating to the use of technical compost, leachate management, surface water and groundwater monitoring, data quality and other matters.
In order to address these, the VVD, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, has defined further courses of action and recommendations, as well as proposals for amendments to legislation.
Starting in June this year, over a three-month period the VVD will arrange meetings with all landfills and the responsible institutions (local authorities) to present the results of the 2023 landfill inspections and to encourage discussion with the regional waste management centres, in order to bring about an improvement in the current situation and the achievement of the waste management targets set by the state.