Five previously closed waste deposit in four settlements in the Karcag sub-region have been successfully recultivated at a cost of HUF 1.3bn, announced László Dobos MP (Fidesz-KDNP), Mayor of Karcag, at the event held in the city to mark the closing of the project.

The rehabilitation of one former solid waste disposal sites in Karcag, Berekfürdő and Kunmadaras, and two near Kisújszűllás has been completed during the past year. A total of 1.2 million cubic metres of waste was removed from the five sites during the course of rehabilitation spanning 22 hectares.

The Mayor recalled waste had been transported from the settlements to fill the old pits left behind by quarrying activities since the 1960s, with no technical or environmental regulation whatsoever. The landfills eventually became filled, partly with dangerous materials, and were closed in the 1990s.

Waste continued to be deposited at the old sites on the outskirts of these settlements even after their closure, which lead to pollution of the groundwater and increased the risk of infection; pests grew in numbers and there was a continuous stink, László Dobos explained.

Minister fro Rural Development Sándor Fazekas stated that the project, which has improved the quality of life of around 40 thousand people, was realised almost exclusively with the help of New Széchényi Plan funding.

According to the Minister, the project is a significant step forward in the progressive elimination of sources of environmental pollution in the Nagykunság region, and emphasised the fact that the Government would always be a partner in the curing of similar "wounds to the landscape".

"We will continue to support the elimination of illegal waste deposit sites, the creation of the conditions for selective waste collection and the recultivation of similar deposit sites", Sándor Fazekas stressed.

(MTI)