Environmental scandal in St. Pölten: Zöchling suspected!

Environmental scandal in St. Pölten: Zöchling suspected!

St. Pölten, Österreich - Greenpeace has submitted a criminal complaint against Zöchling Waste Ververwartung GmbH because the environmental protection organization suspects massive violations in waste disposal. According to a press release from Greenpeace, there could be enormous amounts of incorrectly deposited waste based on image and video recordings as well as historical satellite and aerial photos. "The incorrect landfill has been running for a long time and affects huge quantities," says Greenpeace. The demands include the complete evacuation of all illegally stored waste, a review of all locations of the company and the establishment of a new control system for landfills, reports Pölten was closed by the authorities in December 2024 after irregularities were found by unannounced controls. Large tests and studies took place. The state of Lower Austria emphasizes that further close tests are required for a complete certainty about the landfill. The operator, Zölling, rejects the allegations and speaks of speculation. "The allegations are based on speculation and assumptions," said the company in a statement. The Zöchling Waste Ververwands GmbH emphasizes that any activities of the landfill are properly and does not pose a environmental risk from the location, which is from The press was taken up.

doubts about the allegations

Greenpeace had identified new suspicion for illegal deposits and suspected that unfiltered residual and bulky waste had been brought into the landfill since 2021. Zöchling demands that the results of the official investigations to be awaited before allegations are spread, as they could endanger the company's existence and the entire disposal infrastructure in Eastern Austria. The company makes it clear that all operated landfill and intermediate storage measures are legally approved and secure, and assures that the operation has no influence on the groundwater.