Getliņi EKO manages the largest solid municipal waste landfill in the Baltic states.

The modern waste management centre processes household, biological, production and construction waste from the Central Latvia waste management region. The company is owned by the municipalities of Riga and Ropaži and focuses on managing and disposing of municipal solid waste and producing electricity and heat.  

Half of Latvia’s unsorted municipal waste ends up in this landfill and is disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. Biodegradable waste is separated out and processed in fermentation tunnels producing technical compost and biogas. The planned annual capacity is 125 000 tonnes of biodegradable waste, yielding up to 100 000 tonnes of compost. This process converts organic waste into valuable soil amendments while capturing biogas.  

Another source of gas is the special waste cells where unrecyclable waste is stored. They are connected by tunnels, and the landfill gases are pumped out and transported to the power plant.

This gas is collected and burned, yielding electricity and heat. The electricity is sold and the heat is used to heat 14 408 m² of greenhouses where tomatoes and cucumbers are grown, as well as to provide heating and hot water for the company and to heat the water treatment plant reactor.  

Another circular activity involves construction waste: once crushed, it is suitable for use in road construction.

The landfill is open to visitors who can apply for free tours in order to improve their knowledge of the circular economy, landfill processes and environmental protection.