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“The waste that was thrown away as money will be recycled and returned as money and will bring benefits. You will feel a more Scandinavian lifestyle, the city will become cleaner and we will allow the Lapiai landfill to rest, ”said Mayor V. Matijošaitis.
And it began: the transportation of garbage from 5 surrounding municipalities to the Kaunas MBA, located near the Kaunas Dainava district, began. The odor buds began to register only after the start-up of the plant. The communities of Ramučiai, Palemonas and other settlements near the factory reacted immediately.
Compare the danger with the fire of Grigeo Klaipėda and Alytus tires
The Kaunas MBA management at that time tried to correct the situation on their own initiative. Technological solutions were implemented that will have to reduce odors: a fireplace was built, filters were replaced, probiotics and chemicals were introduced. Unfortunately, according to Paulius Lukševičius, Kaunas City Councilor, the additional investments and, more importantly, the government’s attention were insufficient; the stench continued and since the beginning of this year the situation has become catastrophic:
“This year alone we have had major Alytus and Grigeo Klaipėda tire scandals from Klaipėda, but Kaunas MBA and the potentially poisonous odor emanating from it testify that the responsible officials did not reach conclusions: political decisions are delayed five years, complaints from residents are ignored. ” P. Lukševičius.
Authorities have been aware of the problems since the opening
The politician is surprised that even though the problems of the Kaunas MBA and the smell it emanated were well known to the rulers of the city from the beginning, they became interested in this topic only before the elections:
“Let’s see the facts: the smell just spread in 2016. The mayor cut the opening strip of the factory. To put it mildly, it is strange that for five years the local government put the issue aside and only before the elections they will begin to show an alleged concern – said P. Lukševičius – Such tactics of the rulers testify that they have no decisions or will to resolve. The MBA issue will be “frozen” again until the next elections, “the politician continued.
According to P. Lukševičius, the rulers of Kaunas imitate problem solving:
“It has already become a custom for the mayor to look for something to excite the dogs, although the facts will not change: the Internet is full of photographs of V. Matijošaitis with this ecological pump, and an institution without proper supervision has been operating for five years, “said the politician.
The above is no longer where to turn
Kaunas d. According to Greta Varnaitė-Venskienė, president of the Association for the Protection of the Rights of Citizens Ramučiai “Our Law”, residents did not hesitate to request from all responsible institutions in 2016:
“We appealed where we could: self-government, the company, the Department of the Environment, the Seimas Environmental Protection Committee, the Ministry of the Environment, the Government, the Presidency. We have endless meetings and writings. We no longer have anywhere to turn upstairs. As early as 2017, a task force of specialists was formed to address these issues. The company really knew everything they needed to handle. There were many promises and wishes, sadly as a result not everything was fulfilled, which had to be so that the outbreaks of odors could be controlled. And this is already a problem for the stakeholders themselves and a strange reluctance to fully resolve this matter, ”said G. Varnaitė-Venskienė.
Dirty interest suspect
“I will not guess what is happening, because the Kaunas MBA municipality administration carefully hides all the material. For example, in August this year. The Department of Environmental Protection under the Ministry of the Environment had indicated the city of Kaunas. The municipality to declare an emergency in the immediate vicinity of the plant, but everything was carefully hidden “under the rug.” As council members, we were not even aware of the findings of the Department of Environmental Protection! After finding out, I asked the Department of Protection Environmental agency to provide them to me personally, but I have not received a response either, ”said P. Lukševičius.
The politician does not dare to share the suspicions behind such behavior by the Kaunas rulers, but speculates that in this way Mayor V. Matijošaitis may face the Kaunas district government or seek the closure of the company.
According to the experts I interviewed, the smell of Kaunas MBA can be eliminated in 1-2 months, and annually by investing in equipment (which, by the way, is provided for in the project agreement), to ensure that odor outbreaks do not recur. . Managing the odor problem by radically transforming the company would be a much faster and cheaper solution. The Kaunas MBA has been opened under the funding of the European Union, it would take much longer to close, and all residents of the Kaunas region will have to cover the increased costs of waste management out of their pockets in the final “Said the politician.
He also has the support of G. Varnaitė-Venskienė, a representative of the Ramučiai community:
“We thought a miracle had happened and in the summer of 2019 we had practically no problems with odor (except when the accident happened in August 2019). We found that it was still possible to control the odor a bit. […] But the summer of 2020 began with outbreaks of smells. We’ve tackled that issue again, in large part, because it seems like it will never end and the improvements will only be temporary. […] Unexpectedly, we also learned that the acting director Ingrida Valavičienė has been removed and the current director, who took her place in early 2020, didn’t catch anything and the problem only got worse. There are many questions and thoughts that the smell can now be intentionally allowed to cause dissatisfaction among the population, which would require the closure of the business.
Time to make a point
Residents are tired of waiting: if the company does not recover, other similar companies operating in Lithuania can do their job:
“It is necessary to temporarily suspend the activities of the company in order to fully organize the technological / construction processes and prevent the smell from spreading outside the territory. Second, the company has hidden the pollutants and has been working for five years with an incorrectly issued IPPC permit, which does not mention pollutants like mercaptans, hydrogen sulfide, and other volatile organic compounds that cause that odor. When they are not on the permit, the control authorities cannot control them or impose penalties for exceeding them. When issuing a new IPPC, we require particularly strict controls, as this site, in principle, may not be suitable for such activities. We also hope that the new IPPC will have clear requirements for odor control, which companies will have to implement or decide to hand over their garbage to other Lithuanian MBAs, who know how to do it without harming the health of the surrounding population, “said Ramučiai Citizens’ Rights Association ”President Greta Varnaitė-Venskienė.
In response to residents’ complaints, P. Lukševičius proposes not to pass the ball from one institution to another, but in the near future to establish a coordinating council of company stakeholders, independent experts and members of local communities to Make appropriate decisions about the future of Kaunas MBA.
“The residents of Dainava, Ramučiai, Neveroniai and finally all of Kaunas have been led by the nose for five years: it is time to end the participation of community representatives and independent experts in decision-making so that officials do not turn away from responsibility again. ” .
Political advertising will be paid from the PK account of Paulius Lukševičius.
Order number: PT_85384309
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