Investigation started following massive pollution in Bucharest

Police are conducting nine searches in a file targeting the activity of two companies and of several physical persons who would have collected, transported, dumped and buried waste in unauthorized locations, thus prompting significant prejudice to the environment.

The Police’s action comes after the national network and independent networks of monitoring the air quality in Bucharest have registered record pollution in the Capital on the night of Sunday and on Monday morning.

“The department investigating economic criminality within the Bucharest Police, endorsed by environment inspectors and prosecutors, are searching nine locations in Bucharest, Ilfov and Giurgiu counties in a criminal file regarding environment-related crimes”, says the Bucharest Police in a press release.

Environment minister said that the record pollution is due to the uncontrolled combustion in Bucharest and Ilfov county.

“We have serious suspicions related to some industrial activities in Ilfov or Bucharest, particularly at night, when increased polluting substances are emitted in the air,” said the minister, who ordered checks on 46 companies in Ilfov and 69 in Bucharest.

Environment minister Costel Alexe stated that waste piles such as the ones in UK are illegally burnt in Ilfov county near Bucharest or end in the landfills here.

“Disguised as home appliance imports, important quantities of waste are reaching Romania. 25 such waste containers have been tracked down in Constanta Port in the past weeks, with each container encompassing around 20 tons of waste. The Environment Guard inspectors have sent back seven containers yesterday. All this happens because to remove one ton of scrap costs 400 pounds in UK, while in Romania it costs 30-40 euro. This scrap arrives in Constanta Port and then heads to Ilfov county, in Afumati ad other locations, while most part of the waste is uncontrollably burnt”, the minister told  libertatea.ro.