Thousands of tons of contaminated iron and metal scrap were dumped in a quarry in Mellerud municipality. Now, several people are being prosecuted for suspected gross environmental crime and gross money laundering.
The contaminated waste is said to have come from a larger Swedish company, which is active in several parts of the country in the recycling of iron and metal scrap.
According to the Prosecution Authority, the waste consists of crushed residual material from the company's treatment of scrapped cars and other metal scrap, among other things, in Halmstad and Hallstahammar. The waste is estimated to be around 35,000 tons, writes the Prosecution Authority in a press release.
According to the National Forensic Centre (NFC), the waste contains pollutants such as lead, copper, zinc, and PFAS.
"The primary driving force behind illegal waste management is to make money, regardless of whether it's about saving costs for one's company or receiving and disposing of waste for payment," writes senior prosecutor Martin Elofsson in the press release.
