Randers Municipality is seeking to disclaim responsibility for piles of contaminated material at the Nordic Waste area, passing the onus to the Central Denmark Region. According to municipal director Jesper Kaas Schmidt, the region has already rejected this proposal.

The Environmental Protection Agency has also declined to assign responsibility, as stated in a May 16 memorandum from the political follow-up group in Randers Municipality. The municipality asserts it lacks the authority to remove the piles, as their legal counsel argues it does not qualify as an environmental disaster prevention measure.

Randers Municipality remains responsible for addressing water pollution stemming from the contaminated piles. Runoff from the piles is affecting the municipality’s treatment plant, although there is currently no threat to streams or groundwater. Schmidt emphasized that reducing the amount of polluted water would expedite the cleaning process.

The municipality fears that failure to remove or cover the piles will extend the duration of the water purification efforts. The situation arose after Nordic Waste relinquished control of the landslide containment in December 2023 and subsequently declared bankruptcy in January 2024.

Ritzau is seeking a statement from the Central Denmark Region regarding the matter.