In summer 2026, 180 tonnes of shredded plastic waste from Italy, accompanied by forged documents, were brought to a field near Hořovice in the Beroun area. Officials of the Central Bohemian Region reported this on 13 October 2026. The police are dealing with the case.[1][2]
Course of events
Seven lorries brought the waste to two sites in the cadastral areas of the municipalities of Cerhovice and Újezd. One of the drivers was detained while unloading, so the last load was held back. A foreign carrier was transporting the waste to Czechia for processing, but the signatures of the waste facility in the documents were forged. According to Marie Stáňová, head of the waste management unit at the regional department of environment and agriculture, the Czech haulage company that ordered the transport was also bogus. The carrier was probably not to blame, as it had only been told where to unload the cargo.[1][2]
Resolution
According to samples, the material was contaminated plastic shred that could have polluted the soil if left there for a long time. The municipality lacked the capacity to deal with it, so the region helped; according to Věra Eschnerová, deputy mayor of Hořovice, one official handles waste management in Hořovice and she had no experience with a similar situation. The carrier removed part of the waste from the field, and the region arranged the rest at its own expense, which cost tens of thousands of crowns. Within a month the waste was moved to a temporary site, from where it is to be returned abroad. According to officials, it cannot be disposed of in Czechia, because it must go back to its place of origin, in this case Italy, which is being arranged by the Ministry of the Environment.[1][2]
Stáňová did not say what penalty the perpetrators face, citing the ongoing work of investigators. As a general rule, if administrative authorities find out who brought unauthorised waste onto the land, that person faces a fine of up to ten million crowns.[1]
Other landfills in the region
According to Stáňová, there are currently around five large illegal landfills in the Central Bohemian Region, among them one in Hostivice near Prague, where lorries bring soil and rubble to a rented plot. During an inspection only one person was present there, who gave neither his name nor the names of the firms that come to the site. The police are examining this case as well. Jindřiška Romba (STAN), the regional councillor for the environment, said the region wants to initiate legislative changes that would speed up the removal of landfills and strengthen the powers of municipalities and regions. In her view, the clearing of landfills with no known perpetrator should be supported by the Státní fond životního prostředí from waste disposal charges.[1]
Related articles: Central Bohemian Region
Chronology
- — On 13 October 2026 officials of the Central Bohemian Region reported that 180 tonnes of shredded plastic waste from Italy with forged documents had been dumped on a field near Hořovice in summer 2026, and that the police are investigating. ČTK / České noviny ČT24
Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 13 October 2026
- ČT24 — 13 October 2026