The removal of more than 98 tons of toxic mercury that had been illegally dumped at a site west of Athens has been completed, the Attica Regional Authority said on Tuesday, calling the operation “a major environmental victory.”
The 98.3 tons of mercury had been transported to a warehouse in Aspropyrgos in the summer 2014 by a German industrial waste management company that has since been shut down for environmental violations.
Greek authorities were told about the shipment by their German counterparts and secured the toxic material while its return to Germany was arranged.
“The removal of the mercury is a major environmental victory that has made Western Attica and particularly the Thriasio Plain a safer place,” Western Attica Deputy Regional Governor Yiannis Vassiliou said on Tuesday.
In 2014, DELA GmbH RECYCLING SOLUTIONS was accused of dumping 800 tonnes of toxic material in a number of other countries apart from Greece, including Singapore, Holland, Denmark, Switzerland and Turkey
