New waste management tender announced in Riga

RIGA - Riga City Council has announced a new tender to provide waste management services in the capital city based on the new waste management regulations, LETA was told at the City Hall. 

January 16, 2020 is the deadline for bids in the waste management tender.

Previously, the city council organized a tender based on old regulations whose provisions were long outdated and were not in line with several legislative requirements. 

According to the new regulations, which came into effect on December 4, Riga will be divided into four roughly similar areas that could each be served by a different waste management company. One company will have the opportunity to serve up to three of these areas, therefore the Riga City Council will sign two to four waste management contracts for a period of up to ten years.

The objective of the regulations is to ensure organization of waste management and define waste management procedures in order to protect the environment and improve waste management procedures, including separate collection and sorting of waste, with the aim of reducing the amount of waste buried at landfills and foster waste recovery and recycling.

As reported, Riga City Council and Getlini EKO landfill entered into a EUR 686.3 million public-private partnership on management of household waste in Riga with CREB Riga, a company set up by two environmental service providers - Clean R and Eco Baltia Vide.

At the beginning of June, Getlini EKO and CREB Riga established joint venture Rigas Vides Pakalpojumi, later renamed Tiriga, which from September 15 was to provide household waste management services in Riga for the next twenty years.

On September 9, the Competition Council banned Tiriga from signing agreements with the residents of Riga and initiated infringement proceedings against the Riga City Council and Getlini EKO, suspected of possibly violating the prohibition of abuse of dominant position.