Remeo banned from receiving waste after fire incident at Ruskos facility in Tampere

The Pirkanmaa ELY Centre has intervened in the operations of a waste management facility located in Ruskos, Tampere, following an unusual incident. A large fire broke out in a pile of energy waste at the facility last Tuesday. According to the ELY Centre, the company Remeo is prohibited from receiving any new waste until further notice. Remeo has been ordered to assess the environmental impact of the fire and to conduct clean-up operations by the end of the year.

At the Ruskos facility, waste can only be processed for removal purposes. All waste stored on-site, including burned materials and firefighting runoff, must be cleared from the location. The cleanup will also address debris resulting from truck loads along surrounding roads. Remeo is required to cover all the costs associated with this cleanup, as well as expenses related to environmental monitoring and sample collection. Additionally, Remeo must manage pest control in the area.

The company has until the end of the year to complete the mandated tasks, after which the ELY Centre will reassess the situation. If compliance is not achieved, further actions by authorities may follow. Earlier reports indicated that a police investigation into the waste facility’s operations had begun, as the ELY Centre noted that Remeo’s activities could not continue in their current form due to repeated violations of environmental regulations regarding waste limits.

The fire, which lasted for about a week, has now entered a recovery phase. Smoke clouds were significant enough to reach as far as Kotka. On the day the fire broke out, a hazard alert was issued for the Ruskos area, which was lifted on Saturday. Runoff water and foam from the firefighting efforts have entered nearby water bodies, although clean-up efforts for this waste are ongoing. Meanwhile, air quality in the area has nearly returned to normal levels, and waste is currently being transported to other disposal sites.