The government of Entre Ríos suspended and fined the company Horizonte Gases SRL, located in Concordia, for burying ashes without control or the required care.
This, in addition, added to serious non-compliance with regulations. The decision is based on multiple inspections that evidenced inappropriate practices in the handling of hazardous waste.
Company suspended for burying ashes and causing serious environmental damage
The Environmental Secretariat of the province found that Horizonte Gases was operating without the required environmental certificate, despite having been warned on several occasions since 2013.
The company is dedicated to the treatment of pathological and hazardous waste. Its activity, without the proper authorization, represents a risk to public health and the environment.
In this sense, the Environmental Secretariat decided to suspend the company’s activities, allowing it to continue operating internally while regularizing its situation.
What the company is dedicated to.
Furthermore, alternatives are being managed to ensure the proper collection and treatment of the pathological waste generated in the region.
The provincial resolution demands that Horizonte Gases submit a new final disposal plan, in addition to prohibiting the entry of waste until the situation is regularized.
On the other hand, there is an economic fine of just $ 500,000, with the possibility of payment in installments, according to current regulations.
Residents of the El Silencio neighborhood, where the plant is located, reported nauseating odors and respiratory ailments, such as coughing and headaches, attributable to the company’s emissions. These complaints led to the intervention of the Federal Police and the raid of the establishment.
At the moment, the company must adjust its operations to current environmental regulations in order to resume its activities. The Environmental Secretariat expressed its willingness to collaborate in this process, with the aim of ensuring the protection of the environment and the community’s health.
Company’s response
In its defense, Horizonte Gases stated that the Municipality of Concordia had authorized the final disposal of waste. However, the provincial agency stated that there is no record of compliance with mandatory environmental procedures and regulations.
The company, as reported by the local newspaper Diario Junio, had signed an agreement in August 2024 where it committed to report how many accumulated waste it had and how it would remove it. The original deadline was five days, but eight months later that commitment had not been fulfilled.
