Mayor seeks government help for oil pollution from Nordic Waste

Randers Mayor Rosa Lykke Yde expressed relief Friday after a report concluded there was no systematic fraud in the handling of contaminated soil at the Nordic Waste facility. The report, commissioned by the Randers City Council and conducted by Elmann Advokatpartnerselskab, specifically stated that there was no evidence of heavily contaminated soil being deliberately dumped at the site.

"The report does not support the serious suspicion that heavily contaminated soil was driven directly onto the landfill. That is very positive, and I am glad that has been established," Yde said. This finding addresses a key concern that arose during an earlier investigation into the case.

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The report does not support the serious suspicion that heavily contaminated soil was driven directly onto the landfill. That is very positive, and I am glad that has been established.

Despite clearing Nordic Waste of systematic fraud, the report highlights a significant new problem: an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 tons of oil-contaminated soil on the company's property. This soil originated from Redmolen in Copenhagen, a former oil and gasoline depot, and was likely brought to the Randers site in breach of Nordic Waste's environmental permits. Only parts of this soil have undergone final cleaning.

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We must not have oil pollution lying in nature. But the entire soil contamination area is not a municipal task. Therefore, we must have a dialogue with other authorities, including the Environmental Protection Agency and Region Midtjylland, about this.

Mayor Yde stressed the urgency of addressing this contamination, stating, "We must not have oil pollution lying in nature." However, she noted that managing such widespread soil contamination is beyond the municipality's scope. "Therefore, we must have a dialogue with other authorities, including the Environmental Protection Agency and Region Midtjylland, about this," she added.

The landslide at Nordic Waste began in December 2023, causing millions of cubic meters of soil to shift and bury parts of a local road. Randers Municipality has already spent approximately $55 million on measures to prevent pollution of the nearby Alling Å river, with the state contributing another $30 million. Yde indicated that the municipality and the state will pursue legal action to hold the polluter financially responsible, emphasizing the principle that the polluter must pay.

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Randers and the state are left with a total debt of well over half a billion kroner for what has happened in the area out there. It is clear that we are not just putting a period on it before we have pursued the principle that the polluter pays.