The accumulation of waste has become a global problem, from which some would seek to profit. This would be the case of a businessman and his daughter, who were identified by the French justice system as alleged responsible parties for an illegal dumping network.
According to authorities, this network allegedly deposited more than 20,000 tons of illegal waste in various regions of the west of the country over a period of nine years. It is even estimated that the estimated damage amounts to four million euros.
It all began in April 2019 with the discovery of contamination in the waters of the lagoon of Saint-Jean-sur-Mayenne. At that time, the prosecutor leading the investigation specified that the pollution came from an illicit discharge carried out by a hydro-vac truck, belonging to a local company.
However, authorities discovered that behind that discharge, there was a much broader structure. According to the investigations and evidence gathered by the prosecution, the companies in charge of the accused offered waste treatment services to public and private clients, and disposed of what was collected in watercourses and agricultural fields.
An action with ecological and economic impact
According to those in charge of the investigation, the economic impact of this allegedly illegal operation includes illicit profits of more than four million euros. This would be the result of not paying the ecological fees and evading the mandatory waste treatment processes.
Although the prosecution has not yet been able to accurately determine the environmental damage, it did assure that the estimate would be over two million euros.
Both the businessman, 61 years old, and his daughter, 33 and holder of 30% of the company’s shares, were accused of “abandonment and irregular management of waste”, “forgery and use of false documents”, “pollution”, “misappropriation of corporate assets”, “irregular operation of a classified facility” and “money laundering of tax fraud”.
The waste business in Europe, a sector also attacked by illegality
Although the European continent has very efficient recycling systems, it also suffers from the growing illegal waste trafficking, which moves millions of tons of toxic and common waste, taking advantage of legal loopholes and generating large profits at the expense of environmental damage.
In fact, illegal waste trafficking is the fifth most lucrative crime in Europe, with illicit organizations moving up to 70 million tons annually. These networks use false documentation and corruption to evade controls.
