Paris wants to push through final disposal of toxic waste in Alsace
The Paris Ministry of the Environment wants to continue with the final disposal of toxic waste on the French-German border. Environment Minister Christophe Béchu announced on Thursday that an appeal would be lodged against the decision of the administrative court in Strasbourg two weeks ago to temporarily halt the final disposal at the Stocamine landfill site in Alsace.
The plan to leave the toxic waste stored in the former potash mine in Wittelsheim near Mulhouse there permanently is the most environmentally friendly way forward, the minister argued. A transparent procedure for sealing the mine should be agreed with the local authorities to prevent any risk of contamination of the Alsace groundwater.
The court in Strasbourg had ruled in an urgent decision that final disposal would violate environmental law. The possibility of retrieving the stored waste is not guaranteed by the project, nor is the protection of groundwater.
The legal tug-of-war over the toxic waste disposal site, which is also causing concern in Baden-Württemberg, thus continues. Until now, the Haut-Rhin department had also stuck to its plans for the permanent disposal of the waste, even though the Administrative Court in Nancy and the Strasbourg court had already ruled against the project three times in 2021 and 2022.
Toxic waste such as cyanide, arsenic and mercury has been stored in the landfill since 1999, against the protests of environmentalists and citizens' initiatives. In 2002, a fire broke out at a depth of 535 meters, which took days to extinguish. The site has been closed ever since. The landfill was designed to store up to 320,000 tons of toxic waste. At the last count, it contained almost 42,000 tons of waste, stored in large sacks and garbage cans.
Paris's Environment Ministry advocates for the resumption of nature conservation efforts in managing toxic waste, aiming to mitigate waste-related environmental concerns. To ensure long-term sustainability, they propose sealing the former potash mine securely, preventing potential groundwater contamination.
Despite court rulings against it, Alsace's local authorities continue to consider final disposal of toxic waste at the Stocamine site as a potential waste management solution, despite concerns about environmental law violations and contamination risks.
Source: www.dpa.com
