JSC “Klaipėdos regiono atliekų tvarkymo centras” (Klaipeda region waste management center - KRATC) is a merger of seven Klaipeda district municipality companies united by a common goal of creating new waste management system in Klaipeda region that complies with the environmental standards of European Union.
The main KRATC shareholders are Klaipeda, Palanga, Neringa city as well as the regional municipalities of Klaipeda, Kretinga, Šilute, and Skuodas.
The project "The Development of Klaipėda Region Waste Management System” (project no. 2002/LT/16/P/PE/010) has started in 2002, and is still in progress.
The most important object of the new municipal waste management system is an environmentally safe regional dump. It has opened in Dumpiai in 2008 within the boundaries of Klaipeda district municipal territory. KRATC is the administrator of this dump.
As of 2009 all municipal and construction waste is brought to Dumpiai. The old dumps that were not environmentally safe were closed in 2010-2012 and have been re-cultivated since. KRATC professionals constantly monitor the waste degradation process, maintain the surroundings and take the filtrate, the excretions from the dump to pollution treatment plants.
In 2008, Klaipeda and Neringa municipalities have delegated their municipal waste management to KRATC. Since then, KRATC organizes waste collection and collects fees for municipal waste management in these territories. The fees are then passed on to the municipal budgets and can be used only for the purposes of waste management.
During 2013-2014 oversized, hazardous and compost waste sites were built in all municipal territories.
In 2015, a mechanical sorting plant was built and put into operation at the Dumpiai dump.
In 2019, additional odor control systems have been installed at the sludge sorting facilities and the dump itself.
2020 A slag (ash) and oversized waste treatment site has been built in the territory of Dumpiai.
2020 In April, as a part of the project “Development of Municipal Waste Management Infrastructure in Klaipeda City, Skuodas and Kretinga Districts and Neringa Municipalities”, the construction of a new generation of underground and semi-underground containers was started in the port city. In total, the port city will be equipped with about 270 container sites with 4-5 containers for different types of waste. The major part of the project funds - 4.202 million EUR – is financed by European Union funds, and Klaipeda City Municipality contribution totals to 743.6 thous. EUR. The project is administered and coordinated by KRATC.