"Central government must help pay for cleaning up drug waste"

Municipalities and a number of national organizations want the state to pay for cleaning up waste drugs. Due to the increase in the number of drug depots, "the national problem of municipalities and society worsens," says a letter to the Lower House on Wednesday.

Figures provided by the police show that the number of drug waste spills has also increased sharply. . In 2014, it took place 159 times and last year there was 206 dumping. This year too, the number seems to increase again.

See also: Nine Days, Ten Discoveries of Drug Waste

Une Structural regulation is needed & # 39;

According to the Association of Dutch Communes (VNG), one of the signatories of the letter, cleaning costs can go up to in the tens of thousands of euros. In the letter, they argue in favor of restoring an old system of subsidies.

In 2014, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management assumed up to 50% of the costs of cleaning up waste drugs. This co-financing has recently been interrupted. According to a spokesman for the VNG, it is urgent that a "structural arrangement" come back so that landowners and municipalities do not just pay for the costs.

Dumping in residential areas

In this letter, national organizations, notably Federatie Particulier Grondbezit (FPG) and Landen Tuinbouw Organisatie Nederland (LTO), also discussed the recent development of the disposal of pharmaceutical waste in residential areas.

"Farmers, foresters, contractors and residents are increasingly faced with toxic waste dumped by criminals on their property – a sad low point has now been reached with dumping and arson in residential areas ".

Earlier this month, a charred truck was discovered in the middle of a residential district of Eindhoven, filled with barrels of chemicals. The toxic hydrochloric acid gas was released during the fire. A few days later, several streets in Nijmegen had to be closed after a corrosive acid leaked by a truck.