COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT The early warning report for Lithuania Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions identifying Member States at risk of not meeting the 2025 preparing for re-use and recycling target for municipal waste, the 2025 recycling target for packaging waste and the 2035 municipal waste landfilling reduction target.
Date: 2023-06-08
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Subjects: EU environmental policy, Lithuania, application of EU law, carbon neutrality, circular economy, municipal waste, packaging product, prevention of pollution, storage of waste, waste recycling

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 8.6.2023  SWD(2023) 188 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT The early warning report for Lithuania                     Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions identifying Member States at risk of not meeting the 2025 preparing for re-use and recycling target for municipal waste, the 2025 recycling target for packaging waste and the 2035 municipal waste landfilling reduction target.                {COM(2023) 304 final} - {SWD(2023) 175 final} - {SWD(2023) 176 final} - {SWD(2023) 180 final} - {SWD(2023) 181 final} - {SWD(2023) 182 final} - {SWD(2023) 183 final} - {SWD(2023) 184 final} - {SWD(2023) 185 final} - {SWD(2023) 186 final} - {SWD(2023) 187 final} - {SWD(2023) 189 final} - {SWD(2023) 195 final} - {SWD(2023) 196 final} - {SWD(2023) 197 final} - {SWD(2023) 198 final} - {SWD(2023) 199 final} - {SWD(2023) 200 final}  
 
 
1.  Introduction 

The early warning report aims to assist Member States at risk of failing to meet: (i) the 2025 target of 55% for 
the preparing for re-use and the recycling of their municipal waste (this target is set out in Article 11(2)(c) of 
Directive 2008/98/EC); and (ii) the 2025 target of 65% for the recycling of their packaging waste (this target 
is set out in Article 6(1)(f) of Directive 1994/62/EC). It also provides an update on how Member States are 
performing against the 2035 target to send no more than 10% of their municipal waste to landfill (this target 
is set out in Article 5(5) Directive 1999/31/EC).  

This report builds on previous support provided by the Commission to help Member States comply with EU 
law on municipal waste management, including, where relevant, the early warning report from 2018. 

The assessment underpinning the early warning report identified 18 Member States at risk of missing the 2025 
preparing for re-use and recycling target for municipal waste, 10 of which are also at risk of missing the 2025 
recycling target for all packaging waste. 

This assessment is based on a collaborative and transparent process involving the Member States concerned, 
the European Environment Agency1, and an in-depth analysis of the most recent policy developments in the 
Member States. This process also involved extensive consultation with the Member State authorities in charge 
of waste management. The possible actions identified during this process are based on existing best practices 
and aim to help Member States meet the 2025 targets, and as such they focus on policy measures which can 
be  taken  in  the  short  term.  These  actions  should  be  seen  as  complementary  to  those  recommended  in  the 
roadmaps  which  were  drawn  up  as  part  of  preceding  compliance-promotion  activities  and  to  those 
recommended in the Environmental Implementation Review2. 

2.  Key findings 

Based on an analysis of collected data and existing policies in the area of waste management,  Lithuania is 
considered to be at risk of missing (i) the 2025 target of 55 % for the preparing for re-use and the recycling of 
its municipal waste and (ii) the 2025 target to recycle 65% of its packaging waste. Lithuania is likely to meet 
the  target  of  landfilling  no  more  than  10%  of  its  municipal  waste  in  2035  as  there  has  been  a  significant 
decrease in landfilling in recent years. Lithuania’s municipal waste recycling rate has slightly decreased in 
recent years, falling from 48% in 2016 to 45.2% in 2020. However, the use of the new calculation rules3 for 
2020 data might have played a role in this decrease. The landfilling rate in 2020 was 16.3%, and the significant 
recent increase in incineration capacity is expected to further reduce the distance to the landfill target. 

The total recycling rate for packaging waste in 2019 was 61.9%, which is reasonably close to the 2025 target 
of 65%. However, the upcoming application of the EU’s new calculation rules4 for packaging-waste recycling 
might  result  in  a  lower  recycling  rate  (in  2020  the  recycling  rate  for  all  packaging  waste  was  61.8%). 
Furthermore, Lithuania is also considered to be at risk of not meeting its 2025 target for the glass packaging 
waste stream. 

1 EEA and ETC/CE (2022). Early Warning Assessment Related to the 2025 Targets for Municipal and Packaging Waste 
(https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/country-profiles-early-warning-assessments) 
2  European  Commission  (2022).  Environmental  Implementation  Review  2022.  COM/2022/438  final.  (https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=comnat%3ACOM_2022_0438_FIN) 
3 New calculation rules applying to the 2025 target according to the Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1004. 
4 Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/665. 

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Some of the main challenges facing waste management in the country include: 

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low capture rates of recyclable waste in the separate collection system (41% for bio-waste, 27% for 
plastics and 5% for textiles);  
the lack of a quality-management system to ensure the production of high-quality compost/digestate; 
the lack of sufficient infrastructure for separate collection and treatment of bio-waste. 

3.  Key recommendations 

Among the measures deemed necessary to support Lithuania’s efforts to improve its performance in 
waste management, three main recommendations are listed below. 

1.  Support preparing for re-use of municipal waste and re-use systems for packaging. 
2.  Further develop waste treatment infrastructure associated with the higher steps of the waste 
hierarchy,  in  particular  to  improve  performance  in  separate  collection  and  increase  the 
treatment capacity for bio-waste and food waste, and set up a quality-management system for 
compost/digestate from bio-waste.  

3.  Consider  making  municipalities  responsible  for  meeting  specific  mandatory  targets  on  the 
separate collection of waste. This could be complemented with a system of financial awards 
and penalties dependant on the performance on such targets by the municipalities. 

4.  Develop  and  promote  awareness-raising  campaigns  specifically  tailored  to  different  target 

groups to increase participation in separate collection. 

The table below lists all possible actions to support Lithuania’s efforts to improve its performance in 
waste management. 

4.  Good practices 

The  following  measures  implemented  by  Lithuania  are  considered  good  practices  that  could  be 
replicated and that could help Member States to achieve the above-mentioned targets. 

-  Promoting home composting  –  Lithuania has improved bio-waste collection  and treatment 
capacities by providing financial aid  for  home composters. Between 2021 and 2024, more 
than 66 000 home composters will be provided to individual houses. The home composters 
are financed by both EU and national funds.  

-  An ambitious target for reducing the percentage of waste sent to landfill – Lithuania has set a 
national target that no more than 5% of its municipal waste should be sent to landfill by 2030, 
thus going beyond the target set by the EU that no more than 10% of municipal waste should 
be landfilled by 20355. 

-  A  national  threshold  for  incineration  capacity  –  Lithuania’s  national  waste-prevention and 
management plan  for  2021-2027  includes  a  threshold  ceiling  for  incineration:  by 
2027, incinerated municipal waste must not exceed 429 000 tonnes per year6. 

5 Article 26, Waste Management Law, Official Gazette 1998, No 61-1726, i.e. 0981010ISTAVIII-787,  
New wording of the law as of 1.1.2003: No. IX-1004, 1.7.2002, Žin., 2002, No. 72-3016 (17.7.2002).  
6 Article 271, National Waste Prevention and Management Plan for 2021-2027 (Decree No 573 of 1 June 2022, amending 
Decree 519 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania of 12 April 2022). 

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OVERVIEW OF POSSIBLE ACTIONS TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE 

Governance 

1)  Set mandatory objectives or indicators for  separate waste collection at the level of the bodies in 
charge of collecting municipal waste (e.g. municipalities) in order to monitor, enforce and achieve 
higher capture rates. This could be complemented with a system of financial rewards and penalties 
dependant on the achievement of such targets by municipalities. Information on the performance of 
municipalities  could  also  be  made  available  to  the  general  public  to  raise  awareness  (e.g.  by 
publishing on a website).  

Prevention 

2)  Take measures to increase re-use and to prevent the generation of non-recyclable municipal waste. 

3)  Foster  coordination  between  the  central  and  the  local  government  to  achieve  the  EU’s  waste-

prevention objectives. Properly monitor the implementation of waste prevention measures. 

Separate collection 

4)  Swiftly improve  performance in  separately collecting waste (especially food waste). Although  a 
national  system  for  the  separate  collection  of  food  waste  is  being  implemented,  accelerating 
implementation could help to meet recycling targets. Furthermore, consideration should be given to 
improving the convenience of separate collection in areas with less than 2 000 inhabitants. 

Waste treatment  

5)  Support preparing for re-use of municipal  waste and develop waste-treatment infrastructure in a 
way that focuses on the higher steps of the waste hierarchy. Firm plans and concrete actions are 
needed,  such  as  supplementing  centralised  biowaste  treatment  with  decentralised  composting 
solutions such as home composting and community composting.  

6)  Further  increase  bio-waste  treatment  capacities.  This  is  to  ensure  that  the  planned  increase  in 
separately collected food waste can be appropriately treated and sent for recycling. A process of 
extending bio-waste treatment plants has already started. 

7)  Compost and digestate from bio-waste treatment plants should be used for land improvement and 
as fertiliser. This is already possible for some compost/digestate under Lithuanian law. However, 
developing a quality management system could promote the greater use of compost/digestate. 

Communication and awareness raising 

8)  Carry out awareness-raising activities as stated in the national waste-prevention and management 
plan  for  2021-2027.  The  activities  should  include  the  creation  of  communication  materials 
addressed to different target groups (e.g. households, commercial-waste generators, schoolteachers, 
and  students)  with  clear  and  consistent  messages.  These  materials  should  be  used  as  part  of 
awareness-raising activities, in leaflets, on social media, on the internet and at civic amenity sites. 

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Extended producer responsibility and economic instruments 

9)  Expand the application of the pay-as-you-throw system for both businesses and households to 
both attain higher capture rates for recyclable fractions and reduce residual waste. Local 
authorities could be supported through guidance on how to design incentive mechanisms and how 
to introduce or learn from pilot projects. 

10) Consider extending the existing deposit-refund scheme to other beverage containers made of glass 

and plastic, which are currently not covered by the scheme.  

11) Stepping up efforts to establish reuse systems for packaging will bring environmental benefits and 

help Member States in complying with the EU packaging recycling targets. 

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