Company News Apr 12, 2012 12:00 PM
ThyssenKrupp Nirosta receives permit to operate Marbach landfill in Bochum
ThyssenKrupp Nirosta has received permission from Hagen environmental agency to continue to operate and increase the capacity of the Marbach landfill in Bochum-Hamme. The approval notice allows ThyssenKrupp Nirosta to dump slag from its neighboring Bochum stainless steel mill. “ThyssenKrupp Nirosta will use its technical and environmental planning possibilities to ensure the project is implemented in maximum harmony with the area,” says Dr. Ulrich Albrecht-Früh, Chief Operating Officer of ThyssenKrupp Nirosta.
Slag occurs as a byproduct of stainless steel production. Most of it is used in an environmentally friendly manner in the construction industry, e.g. for noise barriers. Around a fifth of it is taken to landfill. The ThyssenKrupp Nirosta mill in Bochum needed to find a new dumping site after the previously used landfill in Bochum-Wattenscheid reached its capacity limit. During the now completed planning approval procedure ThyssenKrupp Nirosta applied for permission to continue operation of the Marbach landfill, which had been used as a dumping site in the past.
The Marbach landfill in Bochum-Hamme is the best possible site in the view of ThyssenKrupp Nirosta. The roughly five hectare derelict site is not suitable for residential or commercial development. The continued use of the landfill will mean that additional dumping sites elsewhere will not be needed. In addition, the use of landfills further away would have involved greater environmental impact from truck traffic. The planning approval is tied to extensive measures to protect local residents and the natural environment. They are aimed at minimizing and monitoring air, noise and water pollution and restoring the Marbach stream and the general site. “We attach great importance to minimizing the impact of landfill operation on the local population,” explains Dr. Albrecht-Früh.
To achieve this aim ThyssenKrupp Nirosta has made extensive commitments to the environmental agency and the city of Bochum. They relate for example to the lowering of the overall height of the landfill to 30 meters and to the average number of trips. As part of the planning approval procedure the following determinations were made which will be taken into account by ThyssenKrupp Nirosta during implementation:
・ Access road not drained via the public drain system
・ Sealing material must meet requirements of the Federal Materials Testing Agency
・ Allocation criteria for wastes and fulfillment thereof
・ Requirements for protection and monitoring of groundwater and for collecting and draining seepage
・ Monitoring of settlement
・ Dust and noise measurements to verify forecasts
・ Detailed reporting
・ Extensive nature conservation measures, including to preserve the blue-winged grasshopper and the natterjack toad
The concerns of local residents were taken into account in the approval process. They were discussed at a hearing on March 22, 2011. In addition, various information meetings and events were held to present the project. “We take the fears and worries of the residents concerning the reopening of the landfill very seriously,” says Dr. Albrecht-Früh. “We are interested in any activity that contributes to realizing the project in agreement with the citizens of the district.” ThyssenKrupp Nirosta also supports the establishment of an advisory committee that would meet regularly to discuss the concerns of residents and involve them in the project. A similar arrangement exists in the “neighborhood dialogue” that has worked well for many years in Krefeld. ThyssenKrupp Nirosta wants the advisory committee to “promote understanding for the need for this project”, according to Dr. Albrecht-Früh. “The viability of an industrial region like this depends on the ability to realize such a project taking into account all environmental aspects.”