Landfill in St. Pölten Must Be Cleared

In the case of a landfill in St. Pölten closed due to possible illegal deposits, a complete clearance with accompanying supervision and monitoring must be carried out. To minimize odor nuisance, this step should be done in small sections, according to the state.

The operator of the landfill, however, advised against a clearance on Thursday, citing odor, dust, and noise pollution as concerns.

Landfill Closed After Allegations of Illegal Waste Disposal

The landfill was closed in December of the previous year following the intervention of the state's Department of Environmental and Facility Law. Extensive test excavations were subsequently carried out and chemical analyses conducted. The laboratory results received in early March showed that inadequately treated material had been deposited.

Now, with the involvement of expert reports, the necessary goals and measures for an upcoming procedural order have been established. Additionally, the corresponding reports have also been sent for a party hearing, it was stated.

Complete Clearance and Accompanying Examination of the Material

The complete clearance will definitely be part of this procedural order, it was anticipated. The material will be examined alongside, and unsuitable quantities must not remain in the landfill. Non-landfillable material must be reprocessed. If quantities are excavated that are deemed acceptable, they may remain.

The remediation effort is considered "very high" by the authority, it was stated in a statement. Proceedings have been initiated with the public prosecutor's office, and the customs authorities as well as the responsible ministry are closely involved.

Greenpeace Filed Criminal Charges Against Landfill Operator

The activities at the landfill have been criticized several times by Greenpeace, and recently the activists also filed criminal charges against the operator, Zöchling Abfallverwertung GmbH. The company repeatedly rejected the allegations made by the environmental organization and emphasized that the landfill poses no environmental threat.

Company Considers Evacuation an "Incommensurate Step"

The company now advises against a large-scale evacuation. "The victims of such an incommensurate step would be the population and especially the residents. They would have to deal with a massive increase in odor, dust, and noise pollution for years if a volume of around 90,000 cubic meters had to be completely evacuated," it was emphasized in a release.

The results of the investigations were presented to Zöchling on Tuesday. "There was and is no environmental threat," this assessment has been confirmed. The further results "from the extensive official documents" are now being analyzed by the company together with experts, and a corresponding action plan is being developed. Due to the identified increased plastic content, an optimization of material flow management and a tightening of internal logistics control at the site had already been announced. "In addition, it will be examined together with external experts which measures can be sensibly implemented to continue dealing with the non-hazardous waste," according to Zöchling Abfallverwertung GmbH.

(APA/Red)

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