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- The Bern transport company TGC illegally disposed of hundreds of tons of contaminated material at the Blausee quarry.
- Among other things, these are press sludge contaminated with harmful substances that should have belonged to a landfill.
- The company has redesignated the material as “clean excavation.” Other landfills are presumed to be affected.
- The investigating authorities have opened criminal proceedings.
“We simply rewrite the delivery note at a motorway service station,” a former driver from the transport company TGC told “Rundschau”. Instead of being sent to a normal landfill, the contaminated material was taken to the Mitholz quarry or other pits as “clean digging”. This saved hundreds of francs in landfill costs per load. The “Rundschau” spoke with several former TGC drivers. And they all told the same story: that as drivers they had to “re-declare” the contaminated material and then dispose of it as “clean.”
Several hundred tons of material for Mitholz
A joint investigation by “SRF Rundschau” and “Berner Zeitung” shows: Hundreds of tons of material were transported to the Mitholz quarry on Blausee alone. Among others from Kibag in Regensdorf and Agir in Dietikon. This is shown by the internal accounting and rewritten delivery notes that are available to the “SRF Rundschau”. Disposal in the quarry was illegal: only clean, uncontaminated material was to be deposited at the Mitholz quarry.
Kibag is worried and shocked.
‘We are shocked. We pay a high price for their correct and legal disposal. But in the end, the material was illegally dumped down a well, ”says Philipp Althaus from the management of Kibag AG. “If that’s really true, it will be a disaster,” Althaus continues. Kibag could not recognize the incorrect deletion. Most of the material is likely to be sludge from a washing plant of the Zurich company. Dry filter mud contains PAHs and hydrocarbon residues, which can be potentially carcinogenic. However, the load is not very high.
The material is contaminated with sensitive substances.
Properly, the material should be disposed of in a type B landfill. “As a general rule, there is no immediate danger to the environment from such material,” says geologist and disposal expert Marcos Buser. But the illegal dumping on the Blausee is “dangerous”.
The quarry is located in a groundwater area directly above the lake. “Especially when it rains a lot, traces of pollutants can be washed into the lake very quickly.”
Terrified environmental politicians
“These are dirty business and dirty methods,” says Natalie Imboden. The president of the Green Canton of Bern demands stricter controls from the authorities.
“That is scandalous,” GLP president Jürg Grossen commented on the case. “It cannot be that the contaminated material is illegally disposed of in the canton of Bern and no one is watching,” Grossen continues. The controls also failed him.
Criminal investigation started
As confirmed by the Berne canton prosecutor, the authorities have opened a criminal investigation against those responsible for the transport company TGC. It is about fraud and violations of environmental and waste legislation. The presumption of innocence applies to the managing director of TGC. His lawyer announced that his client had “resolutely rejected” the charge of “highly contaminated waste” for having incorrectly declared and disposed of.
The Blausee quarry belongs to the Vigier building materials group. Vigier has told the “Rundschau” that due to ongoing investigations and procedures, the group cannot comment on the “alleged incidents”.
Agir writes the following statement: “Agir AG expressly distances itself from inappropriate or even illegal business conduct.” If the whole situation turns out to be true, Agir AG will do its best to help clarify the situation.
“Rundschau”
