Greenpeace Central & Eastern Europe spurs government to fund clean up of 3-4,000 tonnes of hazardous material

Right next to Hortobagy National Park – the oldest and possibly most sensitive national park of Hungary - lies an abandoned toxic waste repository. Three to four thousand tonnes of dangerous chemicals (including trichloroethylene compounds and other chlorinated solvents, galvanic sludge and cyanide-based tempering salts) are flowing out freely from the mouldering barrels of the repository into the ground. The warehouse has no walls and its top is almost completely in ruins.

In 2014 Greenpeace Central & Eastern Europe went to the area and took samples, proving that the chemicals had leaked from the repository and could be detected all around the warehouse. The government stated that it would investigate, but no action was taken.

To follow-up, Greenpeace went again to the area and took sediment samples in the surrounding water runoff canals - canals that lead to the national park. Again Greenpeace found toxic metals high above legal limits. Meetings were held with the relevant authorities and ministries, and the government has been spurred on to action, stating that an instant clean-up is needed.