The municipality of Vilnius has declared war to those individuals who illegally dump trash such as unnecessary furniture and building materials to household waste containers.
Installed, modern cameras placed by the containers detect infringements as they happen. One such camera recorded a dozen cases in only a couple of days. You wouldn’t want to be caught in the act of littering, as it can get expensive. Not only do litterers face a fine of up to 600 euros, but they may also be required to pay for the shipment of the waste.
The fight against urban polluters in the capital has risen to a new level.
Officials say that in just a couple of days, high-resolution smart cameras detected at least ten serious violations. Most of the violations are related to home repairs and builders looking to save on waste disposal – at the expense of the tax-paying population. Read more…
Some residents, aware that they’re being filmed, choose to take their litter further away from the waste containers and dump it in nature. Such offenders are not only at risk of being fined up to EUR 600, but also of being required to pay for the shipment of waste to proper waste management facilities.
“The damage depends on the nature and amount of the waste, with a penalty of up to 600 euros. (…) Filming takes place around the clock, during the day and at night. Some who come at night think that nobody sees.” says RAS director Rimantas Juknevičius. Of course, the cameras are equipped with technology to catch littering even at night time.
The municipality plans to introduce at least 6 such cameras. They are installed wherever there is frequent littering, and later the location of the cameras will be constantly changed.
Officials estimate that multi-dwelling inhabitants have accumulated unnecessary tonnes of waste. It is, therefore, decided that the individuals can continue to dispose of their waste, free of charge, in large-scale waste landfills. So far there are 5 in Vilnius, 6 more will be installed in the near future.
“Each typical five-story apartment house has about 20 tons of junk on its premises. And it needs to be placed somewhere. Until it is temporarily withdrawn and it is agreed with waste carriers that the waste will be properly utilized, it will not present a problem. In addition, there are also campaigns in some neighborhoods where the dates are published, where people can legally dispose of large-scale waste at the container and in some places they will be taken out.” Vilnius City reveals. Municipal Administration Director Povilas Poderskis.
The director of the administration says that in the near future such cameras should appear in Žirmūnai, Šeškinė and Lazdynai.