Randers Municipality insists Region Midtjylland should determine the fate of the contaminated piles at the Nordic Waste area, a responsibility the region has reportedly rejected. The municipality has appealed to the Environmental Protection Agency to assign responsibility, but the agency has declined to intervene.

The core of the dispute lies in determining who is authorized to remove the contaminated material. Randers Municipality asserts it lacks the authority to remove the piles.

According to the municipality’s legal counsel, the situation doesn’t qualify as an immediate environmental disaster requiring their intervention, unlike a previous landslide in the same vicinity. However, Randers Municipality acknowledges its ongoing obligation to manage water pollution stemming from the site.

Rainwater carries pollutants from the piles to the municipal treatment plant, necessitating ongoing purification efforts. While the municipal director, Jesper Kaas Schmidt, assures that there’s no immediate threat to streams or groundwater, he emphasizes that reducing the volume of polluted water simplifies and accelerates the purification process.

Ritzau is seeking a statement from Region Midtjylland regarding the matter.