More than 317 tonnes of waste from the German company Roth International were illegally dumped on a plot in Brno-Horni Herspice last year. According to a report by Seznam Zpravy, trucks brought the waste to Brno from June to October 2024.
Roth International is the same company which has also been dumping waste illegally in Jirikov, near Bruntal in the north of Moravia, since December. The Czech recipient of the waste is the company Piroplastik.
Czech Environmental Inspectorate (CIZP) spokeswoman Miriam Louzecka told CTK that the police are looking into the case.
“If no charges are brought by the police, CIZP will initiate administrative proceedings with the inspected entity (Piroplastik), which may result in a fine of up to CZK 25 million. The German waste shipper is being investigated by local authorities,” said Louzecka. Meanwhile, police are also investigating the waste in Jirikov.
So far, according to CIZP, the site in Brno-Horni Herspice contains a mixture of various types of plastics and laminates, pieces of profiles, white fibres, whole pieces of wings (or perhaps propeller blades from wind turbines), plastic film and large-volume bags, with the waste visually matching that deposited in Jirikov. In addition to the police dealing with the case, the Environment Ministry is also negotiating with its German counterpart to resolve the situation as soon as possible so that the German company can remove the illegally dumped waste.
According to the authorities and Environment Minister Petr Hladik (Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL), it is possible that illegal waste dumping in the Czech Republic is taking place as part of organised crime.
The plot with the waste in Brno, located along Videnska, where a number of industrial and storage sites are located, belongs to a 75-year-old woman, but she is leasing it to Stanislav Kraus, who acts for the company Piroplastik.
The owner of the land told Seznam Zpravy that Kraus informed her and said he had documents for everything. The media was unable to contact Kraus.
Meanwhile, the waste also remains dumped in Jirikov. Analyses have confirmed that it includes leftover batteries from electric cars, which are categorised as hazardous waste as they are flammable. The plot in Jirikov is owned by the Calves Group, also represented by Kraus. Earlier, he told CTK that he would dispose of the Jirikov dump as quickly as possible, and claimed that Czech companies had been victims of fraud. The German police are also interested in the German company Roth International.
