They are seeking approval for the rehabilitation of the KAP landfill.

At the site of the former Podgorica Aluminum Plant, it is planned to remediate around 530.000 cubic meters of industrial waste that has been disposed of for decades without proper protection, and the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development expects that the implementation of the project will eliminate one of the biggest environmental problems in Montenegro.

This is stated in the Environmental Impact Assessment Study for the KAP solid waste landfill rehabilitation project, which was prepared for the needs of this government department.

The Ministry requested approval from the Environmental Protection Agency for this study.

As stated in the document, the subject of remediation is a landfill of approximately 12 hectares, created by the long-term disposal of industrial waste from KAP. The study emphasizes that this is an area that is "contaminated by the long-term disposal of industrial waste from KAP", while the authors remind that the waste was disposed of for years without any prior treatment or protection.

"Solid waste was stored at a completely unsuitable landfill without selection or any prior treatment. It is estimated that today, at the location of the unsuitable solid waste landfill, there are 529.773,87 m3 of various solid materials that have become completely mixed over time, both due to unselective storage and the influence of atmospheric conditions," the study states.

The rehabilitation, as planned, will not only include covering the existing landfill, but its complete transformation and arrangement. It is planned that all waste, together with contaminated surface layers of soil, will be excavated and temporarily relocated to three special landfills that will be formed within the construction site. The study predicts that 157.454 cubic meters of material will be relocated to the first temporary landfill, 290.475,54 cubic meters to the second, while another 108.317,98 cubic meters of waste will be deposited in the third. In total, 427.361,27 cubic meters of waste will be excavated, as well as more than 117 thousand cubic meters of soil material.

The study states that the rehabilitation of the KAP solid waste landfill is part of the project "Reform in the field of waste management in Montenegro", through which the Government, with the support of the World Bank, wants to improve the waste management system, solve historical environmental problems and harmonize it with European Union standards. It is recalled that the KAP landfill was previously recognized as one of five priority sites for rehabilitation within the framework of the project for the removal of historical industrial waste.

It was further pointed out that the rehabilitation project for the KAP industrial waste landfill was developed and revised back in 2022, when an environmental impact assessment was also prepared and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. However, since the necessary permit for the works was not obtained within the legal two-year period, the approval ceased to be valid, which is why the Ministry began developing a new environmental impact assessment study.

The Government previously adopted a Decision on Determining Public Interest for the project of remediation of the red mud basin and solid waste landfill at the KAP location, while this project relates to the rehabilitation of the solid waste landfill.

Unlike the current situation, after the completion of the works, the location should be permanently rehabilitated.

"As this is a project related to the rehabilitation of the existing industrial waste landfill from KAP, the cessation of the project's operation is not planned, but rather a permanent rehabilitation will be carried out at the location and a permanent solution will be implemented for the adequate disposal of industrial waste that has been generated there during several years of inadequate disposal," the study states.

The document also describes in detail how the landfill will be closed after all works are completed. After the waste is excavated and the terrain is reshaped, a multi-layered protective system will be installed over the entire landfill, the aim of which is to prevent rainwater from penetrating through the landfill body and further spreading pollution to the soil and groundwater.

"After the excavations and embankments have been completed, as well as the reshaping of the landfill, it is necessary to install a layer of clay material 0,50 m thick over the entire body, including the slopes," the study states.

According to the project, after the clay layer, a bentonite substrate, HDPE geomembrane, geotextile, gravel drainage layer, reclamation layer and final humus cover will be installed, which will enable the greening of the entire area and its long-term maintenance.

At the same time, the study notes that there will be temporary negative impacts on the environment during the works, primarily due to construction machinery, increased truck traffic, noise and dust. However, the authors assess that all these impacts will be of limited duration and can be reduced to an acceptable level by implementing prescribed protection measures, while the long-term effects of the project will be positive because a source of long-standing pollution will be removed and the risk of further contamination of soil and groundwater will be significantly reduced.

The study predicts that 157.454 cubic meters of material will be moved to the first temporary landfill, 290.475,54 cubic meters to the second, while another 108.317,98 cubic meters of waste will be deposited in the third.

Government for red mud remediation, but pools are private

At its session on January 29 this year, the Government adopted the Information on the situation at the red mud pools and the solid hazardous waste landfill at the location of the "Podgorica Aluminum Plant", with the Proposal for a Decision on Determining Public Interest for the Implementation of the Project "Waste Management Reform in Montenegro - Remediation of the Red Mud Pool and the Solid Waste Landfill at the Location of the Podgorica Aluminum Plant", submitted by the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North.

As stated at the time, the Government agrees with the need for urgent remediation of the red mud basin and the solid hazardous waste landfill in order to prevent further negative impacts on the environment and public health. A decision was also made establishing the public interest in the implementation of this project.

After the former Aluminum Plant went bankrupt, Ukrainian businessman Roman Denkovic's company "Politropus Alternative" purchased the red mud pool area in 2015 with the intention of processing it for its significant percentage of so-called rare metals. However, this company subsequently resold the pools to the company "Weg kolektor" from Berane.

In recent years, the Environmental Inspection has imposed several fines on owners for endangering the environment and human health, and in 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency filed criminal charges against "Weg Kolektor".

Denković bought the pools, which cover 450,000 square meters of land, in 2015 from the bankruptcy administration of KAP for 450,000 euros. However, he sold the pools the following year to “WEG Kolektor” for an undisclosed sum, and the Berane-based company pledged them for a five million euro loan from the company “Blackrock Capital” in Podgorica. In 2016, the owner of “Weg Kolektor” was 20-year-old Lazar Jevrić, while his father Siniša Jevrić was wanted by Interpol for alleged links to drug trafficking.