Inadequately managed hazardous waste: Zurich loses in Federal court

Heavily contaminated excavated material from the hazardous waste landfill Kölliken AG was dumped in Zurich under the country instead of abroad tax disposed of. The Canton of Zurich wanted to be compensated by the Federal government anyway. With this claim, he flashed in front of the Federal court.

In the center of the dispute 45 000 tonnes of heavily contaminated slag from the hazardous waste landfill of Kölliken (SMDK), in the Canton of Aargau. The Material is contaminated with heavy metals and organic pollutants, in some cases significantly, over the border.

It was in the year 2012 the Decommissioning of the landfill and would have to be heated according to the Federal office for the environment (FOEN) is actually a strong and in foreign countries disposed of. However, the construction company that was entrusted with the renovation of the SMDK, was the Belief that the Material was not dangerous and therefore are well stored in Switzerland.

seepage water more often

Instead of abroad, the excavated material from the Aargau landed, therefore, in the Zürcher unterland, more precisely in the landfill Häuli in Lufingen control. However, this system was designed only for waste slag.

Actually, the Material should be stored there only. However, the temporary solution is a quick fix – with the blessing of the Canton of Zurich, the issued a permit.

This was not the view of the FOEN. The Federal government decreed that the already deposited Material "for reasons of proportionality" could remain in the landfill. The Monitoring of the Leachate must be more frequently performed extended. The Material is thus still there.

Federal cuts in payment,

it was Only in the past year was made public, what are the many trucks from Kölliken had really loaded. To light the thing came in only because the Canton of Zurich and the Federal government argued to the comparatively low amount of 1.2 million.

Overall, the Decommissioning of the landfill costs Kölliken, around 900 million Swiss francs. The 1.2 million is planned for payment by the Federal government to the operating consortium of the SMDK. Belongs to this consortium of Aargau, the city of Zurich and the Basel chemical industry, the Canton of Zurich, next to the Canton.

Overall, the Federal government will pay 215 million Swiss francs to this consortium, so that this makes the Aargauer legacy to the ground. Because the slag has not been disposed of in Lufingen but moderately, reduced the Federal government contribution of 1.2 million Swiss francs.

While the other consortium members accepted this reduction, moved to the Canton of Zurich against the Federal court. But without success, as now even the on Monday published a Federal court judgment shows. The reduction of 1.2 million was not correct and on a proportionate basis, the complaint should be dismissed.

The Federal court emphasized in its judgment that the Canton of Zurich speaks so still good. Because the deposition in the landfill Häuli in Lufingen had become with 5 million Swiss francs will be significantly less than if the Material had been treated in compliance with the law. This would be in accordance with the cost of the Federal court, namely around CHF 20 million. (dsa/sda)

Created: 21.01.2019, 15:55 PM