Riga in chaos over waste management

A decision by the Latvian Competition Council led to the government declaring a state of emergency in the capital

Officials and citizens of the Latvian capital have had a rough week as the contracts concluded between the City Council and waste management companies are set to expire on 15 September. Prior to the events which transpired over the past few days, the City Council of Riga had signed a waste management agreement with a consortium of under the joint name “Tīrīga” or “Clean” for the next 20 years. On Monday however, the Latvian Competition Council ruled that such an arrangement would lead to the creation of a monopoly in the waste management of the capital. In just a few short days the planned transition was up in flames and chaos ensued.

As a result, on 11 September the government of Latvia declared a state of emergency in Riga in order to prevent the problems from spreading. Since then, the local government of the city has been hard at work at finding new arrangements that would not disrupt waste management services after the current contracts expire on Sunday. Meanwhile, city officials are appealing the Competition Council’s decision in the courts and are expecting a ruling in the next couple of months.

Finally, a tentative agreement was reached that would allow “Clean” alongside a few other companies to perform their duties in the capital for the next three months or until the courts reach a verdict. According to the mayor of Riga Oleg Burov, significant disruption will be prevented, and prices will remain the same.