The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides.
In Denmark , there is a substantial scandal rumbling on around a substantial landslide at a site owned by Nordic Waste, a company specialising in dealing with contaminated soil. The site in question is located in the area of the town of Randers, close to Ølst, at [56.3812, 10.0822°].
The site is an old clay pit that receives contaminated soil for treatment, with the waste being dumped in the old workings, supposedly to restore the landscape. In 2021, the dumped soil became unstable and started to move. GEUS, the National Geological Survey for Denmark and Greenland has an online report that uses remote sensing to show that the landslide was well developed by the summer of 2023, and that movement continued even in the drier summer months.
There is a Google Earth image from April 2022 that shows the deformation:-
Specifically, the road in the centre of the site can be seen to have suffered extensive movement towards the east:-
The GEUS report includes the following graphic that outlines the extent of the landslide, and the dates in which landslide features can be seen:-
Note the pink dashed lines shows the lateral extents of the landslide in December 2023. As the above image shows, the landslide has now extended through the site, and risks discharging contaminated soil into the watercourse. The mass of the landslide is estimated to be 2 million tonnes.
Nordic Waste is owned by the family of Torben Østergaard-Nielsen, reported to be the sixth richest person in Denmark. Last week, the Danish Ministry of the Environment issued an injunction against Nordic waste, and yesterday (22 January 2024) the company was declared bankrupt. The company has declared that this ends Nordic Waste’s liabilities. This potentially leaves the Danish taxpayer with the costs of the clean-up of the site, estimated to be about €27 million (US$29.5 million), although in reality it could be rather more.
The incident raises many questions, not least why the hazards at the site were not monitored adequately by the local authority, why Nordic waste did not act to stabilise the site and how it is acceptable that the company can duck its responsibilities by declaring bankruptcy.
Meanwhile, the landslide is moving relentlessly and is expected ultimately to threaten Ølst, as well as threatening a massive pollution incident.
This appears to be a classic case of privatising profits but socialising losses, and it should not be acceptable.