Taraba: Removal of 150 Tonnes of PCB Waste Underway at Chemko Strazske Site

Strazske, 11 June (TASR) - The removal of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the site of the former 'Chemko Strazske' plant has begun, with a total of 150 tonnes of waste to be transported by 35 lorries, under police escort, to an incineration facility in Vienna, stated Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) on Wednesday at the premises of the former plant. "We're starting to remove these 150 tonnes, which have until now been stored in barrels exposed to the weather, from the Chemko Strazske site today," stated Taraba. Sutaj Estok recalled that an emergency was declared in 2020 concerning the environmental burden at Chemko Strazske, which has affected Presov and Kosice regions. "If we want Slovakia to be safe, protecting the environment must be part of that. This has been neglected for decades. However, we have the courage to tackle such long-standing unresolved problems," said Sutaj Estok, adding that, at the request of the environment minister, the lorries carrying the waste will be escorted by the police to prevent any incidents. The Environment Ministry announced a public tender in February of last year for disposing of PCB waste. The estimated value of the contract is approximately €570,000. Daniel Studeny, executive director of Detox, the company responsible for the waste disposal, stated that the process of disposing of the 150 tonnes of waste should take about three months. lin/df