Alytus, 3 March 2026 – Alytus has officially applied to become a Zero Waste Candidate City through the Mission Zero Academy (MiZA) Certification, making it the first Lithuanian city to take this step. The move signals Alytus’ commitment to supporting Lithuania’s ambitious goal of transitioning to a circular economy by 2035.
Nerijus Cesiulis, Mayor of Alytus City states:
“Alytus is already among the leaders in environmental protection; however, we understand that sustainability is not a final outcome but a continuous process. Joining the Zero Waste City initiative allows us not only to assess where we stand today, but also to purposefully pursue more ambitious goals by strengthening the circular economy, reducing waste generation, and creating an even higher-quality living environment for the residents of Alytus.”
The certification will support Alytus’ journey to becoming an environmentally responsible and sustainability-oriented city, by promoting measures linked to waste reduction, conscious consumption, and innovative resource management. These will build on Alytus’ existing commitments to sustainable waste management and circularity, which helped the city win the Lithuanian municipalities’ environmental ranking in 2025.
Alytus has already made measurable progress towards its zero waste goal — municipal waste dropped by 2 tonnes between 2022 and 2024, and separate waste collection has grown steadily each year. With MiZA’s support, the city aims to reduce mixed municipal waste by 5% annually, and raise its separate collection rate to 80% by 2027.
Aurimas Uldukis, Director of Alytus Regional Waste Management Center states:
“Alytus has long been recognized as a green city in harmony with nature, shaped by its abundant parks, green spaces, and urban landscapes. By joining the Zero Waste City initiative, Alytus is elevating this green city identity even further — moving beyond a nature-rich environment to embrace forward-thinking, sustainable solutions in waste management.”
Alytus’ pledge to become a Zero Waste Certified City will not only foster economic and social development within the region, but sets an example for other municipalities to build a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable future for Lithuania.
Kaisa Karjalainen, Director of Mission Zero Academy (MiZA) states:
“Alytus is setting a powerful precedent as the first city in Lithuania to step up to the Zero Waste City Certification. By joining this program, they aren’t just setting targets; they are opening the door for the entire Baltic region to rethink resource management. We are excited to support Alytus as they begin the hard work of turning these ambitious circular economy goals into a blueprint for the rest of the country.”
ENDS
Notes to the editor:
- City official website: www.alytus.lt
- The Zero Waste Certification is made up of 5 steps: (i) the expression of interest in being Zero Waste by the municipality, (ii) the commitment to be Zero Waste, (iii) the implementation of this system, (iv) its certification and (v) the performance of annual improvements. The overcoming of each of these steps is given with the support and advice of expert entities in the fields of waste and resource management. The evaluation for certification is developed around a scoring system, which includes mandatory criteria and optional scoring criteria.
- Scoring criteria are scored based on the ambition and impact of each implemented policy. The sum of the points defines the level of certification of the municipality and its subsequent number of ‘stars’.
- Subsequent to Certification, municipalities must monitor their activity and make annual improvements to enhance the results achieved. Every 3 years they are subject to new audits.
Press contacts:
Ariane Osman, Communications Officer at Zero Waste Europe, ariane@zerowasteeurope.eu or news@zerowasteeurope.eu, +32 471 96 55 93
