Trouble in Mellach

Polluters dispose of their waste in the forest and stream

Full bags of garbage end up carelessly in the stream.(Bild: Gemeinde Fernitz)

Polluters are on the loose in Mellach near Fernitz: bulky waste is being dumped illegally in the forest. The police are investigating at full speed and are warning copycats.

Mattresses, building rubble, electrical appliances, heaps of full bin bags - and all this in the middle of the forest! Polluters are apparently up to mischief in Mellach, a district of Fernitz. "Unknown people are illegally dumping their garbage here. Our attentive municipal workers have found the rubbish dumped in various places in the forest," says an annoyed Robert Tulnik, Mayor of Fernitz (Citizens' List).

The mayor of Fernitz, Robert Tulnik.(Bild: Foto Schmickl)

Police investigate
According to Tulnik, this has happened several times in the last month alone. "But now it's reached a new level." The police have already been called in and are currently carrying out an extensive investigation, as Manfred Gruber from the police press office confirms: "The deposits are scattered over an entire forest area. The people who are causing this are obviously not aware of what an offense they are committing here." Illegal waste dumping of this kind can have serious consequences: "On the one hand, of course, there is the threat of charges being brought and disposal at the polluter's expense, but on the other hand, you can also expect more serious legal consequences. Because we are investigating negligent endangerment of the environment!"

Old electrical appliances were simply disposed of in the forest.(Bild: Gemeinde Fernitz)

Waste of this kind must be disposed of in appropriate landfill sites. In the Fernitz case, there is even one in the vicinity of the illegal waste piles. The question remains: why are the dumps not disposed of immediately? "We have to wait for the investigations and therefore leave the situation as it is," explains Tulnik. If the culprit or culprits are not found, the public purse will have to pay for disposal.

However, the mayor also calls on his local residents to report any observations of illegal waste disposal as quickly as possible. "It's simply madness what is being done here. We spend huge sums on environmental protection measures in the municipality, and then someone comes along and litter our forests!"

Philipp Braunegger, "Steirerkrone"