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Illegal German waste dumping in Czech village lands at EU’s door
Credit: January 21, 2025 · byteseu.com ~~
Masses of fibreglass debris from wind turbine blades and aircraft parts were illegally transported from Germany to a small Czech municipality, prompting investigations and calls for a European solution, as it was not an isolated case.
The first waste lorries arrived in Jiříkov, a village in north-eastern Czechia, before Christmas. Others followed in January.
Jiříkov Mayor Barbora Šišková told Euractiv Czechia that when she raised the issue publicly, she discovered other cases in other municipalities.
The shipment, from the German company ROTH International, labelled as plastic waste, was destined for the Czech company Piroplastik, which had claimed to be processing plastic materials. On inspection, however, it turned out to be fibreglass – almost impossible to recycle – raising suspicions of illegal dumping.
Authorities have seized five trucks on site, and local officials and police continue to investigate. Meanwhile, inspectors from the Czech Environmental Inspectorate are coordinating efforts with German authorities to return the waste to its source.
“The waste demonstrably comes from Germany,” Czech Environment Ministry spokeswoman Veronika Krejčí confirmed to Euractiv Czechia.
Euractiv Czechia contacted the German company for comment but did not receive a reply.
Meanwhile, the mayor is furious that richer countries are exporting such waste to poorer ones and vows to fight the issue at the European level.
“It does not only concern us, but it is a pan-European problem,” she added.
Czech Environment Minister Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL, EPP) stepped in and visited Jiříkov on Monday with the aim of addressing the issue of unauthorised cross-border shipments of waste at the European level, according to a ministry spokesperson.
Czech MEP Tomáš Kubín (ANO, PfE) also believes the Jiříkov incident “truly has a ‘European’ dimension”, pointing out that wind turbine blades – made of composite materials – are extremely difficult and expensive to recycle.
“The fact that the renowned company ROTH International GmbH, which boasts about recycling wind turbines, has to resort to shipping waste across the border says a lot,” Kubín said, adding it is time the EU takes the issue seriously.
According to him, the problem is not limited to Germany or Czechia, noting that some European countries have banned the landfilling of turbine blades, forcing operators to look for alternatives, sometimes in ways that evade legal oversight.
The Czech MEP has already raised the issue in the European Parliament. He told Euractiv Czechia that he took some of the materials from the mayor of Jiříkov and delivered them to the chairman of the European Parliament’s environment committee.
Jindřich Petrlík from the environmental organisation Arnika warned that in waste from aeroplanes, there are brominated flame retardants and heavy metals which are released over time and are harmful to the environment.
The ministry is now trying to find a solution in cooperation with the German authorities with the expectation they will start the process of taking the waste back to Germany.
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