Bellona will stop all further handling of waste at the company and securing evidence. Environmental foundation fears that as much as 30,000 tons of toxic waste from the oil industry has been illegally stored at the facility.
– This is a serious environmental crime and fraud. We are afraid of the destruction of evidence until the police have investigated the plant. The waste which was found here may shed light on this environmental scandal, says the activist Frederic Hauge.
Bellana has already asked the police to do the investigation with the highest priority for a comprehensive review of Oleon.
Oleon is not the only responsible company
Last year Bellona had revealed the leaks of toxic waste from injection of a number of oil platforms in the North Sea. This has probably contributed to the oil companies have become more restrictive in the use of such waste, and thus have even fewer options for treatment of toxic waste here.
– We have reason to believe that the waste, including strains from Statoil's oil installations, is handled illegally even after other waste handling companies have taken over, says Hauge.
