Interior Ministry warns of toxic contamination from waste incineration

The Interior Ministry has warned of cases of agricultural land being contaminated by toxic substances originating from the incineration of hazardous waste in heating plants. The warning was included in an internal report on waste-related crime, the news website iROZHLAS.cz reported on Sunday.

The ministry says the process can produce toxic ash that is then falsely presented as a harmless material and spread on farmland as fertiliser. The ash may contain heavy metals, dioxins and other harmful substances that can contaminate soil and pose risks to the environment and food safety.

The Czech Environmental Inspectorate has been dealing with such cases since 2023 and has already imposed fines worth millions of crowns. Last year it investigated 340 cases of illegal waste handling and issued hundreds of fines. Some of the cases involved material from crushed railway sleepers being burned in the Central Bohemian and South Bohemian regions.