Major lawsuit seeks 450 million kroner over Nordic Waste landslide

Randers Municipality may force residents to cover costs if a 450 million kroner lawsuit against the former leadership of Nordic Waste and DSH Recycling fails, Mayor Rosa Lykke Yde (SF) told DR.

The case, filed by the bankruptcy estates of the two companies, follows a massive landslide near the village of Ølst outside Randers in December 2023, which displaced millions of cubic metres of earth and threatened to bury the area. Nordic Waste, a soil remediation firm, abandoned the site shortly after, leaving the municipality to manage the environmental crisis and cleanup.

Randers faces a bill of around 360 million kroner for the response. Without compensation, Yde said, the municipality would need to impose cuts that directly affect services for residents.

“If we don’t get the money, the citizens will have to pay,” she said. “It’s an absurd amount. It will impact the services we provide.”

The lawsuit requires a guarantee of over 50 million kroner to proceed, which the newly formed government has agreed to provide. Yde called the state’s backing “absolutely decisive.”

Investigations commissioned by Randers Municipality, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, and Randers City Council have examined responsibility for the landslide. Randers has faced criticism for inadequate oversight of Nordic Waste, while its own legal review pointed to the company’s role.

DR has contacted the former leadership of Nordic Waste and DSH Recycling for comment.