Roughly two tonnes of illegally deposited animal waste was found next to a parking lot close to the Szásznádas/Nadeș village. The rotten animal matter was reported on Monday morning by the mayor of Ivan Erhardt Laszlo, who immediately notified the Maros/Mureș County prefect about the intolerable smell and potential source of infection. As it turns out, the rotten waste was taken there during Saturday night.
After arriving at the spot indicated by the mayor, representatives of the National Environmental Guard , the Maros/Mureș County Commissioner’s Office and the Food and Veterinary Office confirmed the problem and quickly managed to identify the guilty entity but declined to name the person responsible for the illegally deposited waste. They did, however, penalize the company to the maximum extent allowed by law for such an offense – 50,000 RON (EUR 10,500) – and summoned them to remove the waste by the end of the day.
Sources in the National Environmental Guard speaking with Transylvania NOW say this is just the first stinking sign of a major, possibly country-wide problem that arises from the close-down of Protan S.A. The latter company performed the collection and disposal of animal by-products and animal waste over the entire territory of the country. But the more than 36 million RON (EUR 7.5 mln) debt the company had on its balance forced the owners to close the doors, leaving a huge problem without a solution.
“The Szásznádas/Nadeș case is likely just the beginning of a series of such illegal deposits we are going to see, unfortunately,” our sources say.
This is happening in Maros County, while a part of the community living in this area is making an effort to clean up the environment of the waste left by irresponsible citizens. On April 14 a team of volunteers, roughly 500 people, cleaned a segment of the Maros riverside, collecting roughly 2,500 sacks of waste. The #trashtagchallenge is making waves in other counties as well, and nearly 30 youngsters cleaned a part of the Beszterce riverside on April 15.
Title image: The illegally deposited animal waste. Photo: National Environmental Guard.
