10,000 tonnes of waste at the heart of traffic

For four years, hundreds of tonnes of waste and rubble from Belgium have polluted the soil of the Moselle countryside, deposited by a network which has contaminated more than ten French municipalities. Nine people have been on trial in Lille (North) since Monday December 18. In 2019, residents of Rédange (Moselle) saw several trucks dump 250 tonnes of waste on private land. “The first time I saw this, I wanted to cry”says Jessica Dautruche, member of the “I love my forest” collective.

The mounds of waste still there

Four years later, the mounds of trash are still there. To have them removed, you would have to spend more than 200,000 euros. “The commune of Rédange has 1,000 inhabitants, we cannot spend the money we need”, comments the mayor (SE) of the city, Daniel Cimarelli. At the heart of the traffic, Johnny Demeter. The man, originally from the Paris region, presented himself as a waste broker. At the opening of the trial in Lille (North), on the morning of Monday December 18, he kept a low profile and said he regretted everything.