If a Lithuanian resident had to throw away a year's worth of garbage at once, it would weigh around 464 kg — roughly the weight of a European bison. About half of this could be recycled, saving natural resources, reducing pollution, and saving energy, but this is only possible with proper waste sorting.

An opinion survey commissioned by Ignitis Group and carried out by Spinter Research found that 91% of Lithuanians sort the waste they routinely generate — 43% sort all of it, 48% sort some. Women, older respondents (46+), and rural residents were more likely to sort all their waste, while men and city dwellers were more likely to sort only some; still, one in ten residents don't sort waste at all.

Nerijus Rasburskis, Head of Ignitis Group's Heat and Power Solutions Department, notes that sorting is becoming a daily habit for most Lithuanians, but around a quarter of municipal waste is still landfilled — and factoring in technical compost, about half of all municipal waste ends up there. The aim is to recycle as much waste as possible and convert what can't be recycled into energy rather than landfilling it.

To encourage public interest in the circular economy, the Vilnius and Kaunas CHP teams created the educational websites vkj.lt/ziedineekonomika and kkj.lt/ziedineekonomika, explaining the benefits of waste recovery and sorting. Partners of the CHP plants, founders of the TEXTALE.LT platform, also compiled simple tips for sorting waste correctly at home: involve the whole family, learn what your local waste manager accepts, prepare different waste streams properly, get suitable bins, set aside items that can still be reused, plan purchases carefully, and build sorting habits gradually.