Diamo sues Ministry of the Environment over Heřmanice landfill waste case

The state-owned enterprise Diamo has filed an administrative lawsuit against the Ministry of the Environment regarding the investigation into the burning Heřmanice landfill in Ostrava. Diamo claims the Ministry’s decision to take over the case from the Czech Environmental Inspectorate (ČIŽP) was illegal and unjustified.

The dispute centers on the investigation into over 568,000 tons of waste deposited at the site. While the ČIŽP had previously identified construction waste, including plastics and wood, and named the company Ridera Bohemia as a primary suspect, the Ministry concluded the proceedings in June without identifying a culprit.

Diamo, which has managed the 103-hectare landfill since 2002, argues that this lack of accountability leaves the company liable for hundreds of millions of crowns in remediation costs. The landfill, composed of mining and coking waste, has been burning for years, releasing harmful substances into the air and stalling long-term sanitation efforts.