Investigation: Systematic soil fraud at Nordic Waste cannot be proven

An investigation into the now-bankrupt waste management company Nordic Waste has concluded that systematic fraud involving contaminated soil cannot be proven. The supplementary report, released Friday, addresses suspicions that the company received more heavily contaminated soil than it could handle and that its resource center was used improperly to bypass treatment requirements.

The initial investigation by the law firm Elmann in September 2025 had already criticized Randers Municipality for insufficient oversight. This follow-up study was initiated after receiving new information, including from a source in the waste industry, suggesting that soil requiring treatment was being directly deposited in the landfill. The new investigation reviewed documents from various municipalities, authorities, and the bankruptcy estates of Nordic Waste and DSH Recycling, and included interviews with four individuals.

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The investigation does not provide a basis to conclude that such soil was systematically deposited without prior treatment.

While the lawyers confirmed that Nordic Waste received "significant amounts of soil" that required treatment before landfilling, the report states that the investigation does not provide a basis to conclude that such soil was systematically deposited without prior treatment. The reviewed material indicated that controls were generally in place, and soil was sorted and cleaned before deposition. The lawyers did not issue criticism in this supplementary report but offered recommendations to Randers Municipality, including initiating a dialogue with the Danish Environmental Protection Agency regarding the handling of approximately 70,000 tons of oil-contaminated soil still on Nordic Waste's premises.

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significant amounts of soil