Resistance from ÖVP/SPÖ

Recipes against uncontrolled growth in excavation landfills

There are more than 200 excavation landfills in Tyrol, many of which are a nuisance for local residents.

(Bild: LUA)

An amendment to the Waste Management Act gives the municipalities in Tyrol more say, but that is not nearly enough. "Having a say is one thing, holding the levers and being able to decide for yourself is another!" says Liste Fritz Klubobobmann Markus Sint. He demands decision-making powers for municipalities. 

Since 2018, Liste Fritz has been proposing a solution to the proliferation of landfills with a "special area designation for excavated soil landfills". In the past six years, Liste Fritz has launched 22 (!) state parliament initiatives to solve the problem. "First the ÖVP and Greens blocked it, now the ÖVP and SPÖ are blocking it! The special zoning only brings advantages. The municipality, i.e. the local council, decides on zoning. With a special land use designation, the municipality has the power to decide whether it wants a landfill site in the village or not. The landfill applicant is also obliged to inform the municipality about its plans and the location. This makes it possible to exclude possible sites from the outset or to find better locations," points out Sint.

It is unacceptable for the state government to approve new landfills while existing ones are not filled at all.

Liste-Fritz-Klubobmann Markus Sint

"Disproportionate, nonsensical, absurd!"
"This solution gives citizens and mayors a say and provides clarity for the operators. The Tyrolean provincial parliament can approve this special zoning at any time. But so far, the ÖVP has blocked this solution, leaving mayors, citizens and operators in the lurch!" criticizes Sint, who also feels that the current legal situation lacks any proportionality.

"If you want to build a garage in Tyrol, you need a dedication from the municipality, a building negotiation and a building permit. For landfills, to which tens of thousands of trucks drive back and forth, polluting the population with noise, dust and particulate matter and destroying valuable land, meadows and forests, there is no need for municipal approval! This is disproportionate, nonsensical, absurd! This unequal treatment must be stopped!"

Club chairman Markus Sint

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

Urgent motion no. 2: Introduce a needs assessment
Unlike golf courses, quarries or brothels, landfills do not require a needs assessment. Although the impact of landfills is much greater and the burden on local residents is much higher. "Not a month goes by without new applications for new landfills or permits for new landfills throughout Tyrol. In the past two years alone, around 1.9 million cubic meters of land have been used for excavated soil landfills. This is unacceptable, especially as the existing capacities in Tyrol will last another 10 years on average and are therefore far from exhausted," explains Sint.

In the Landeck district, there are even 42 sites that will last for the next 17 years!

Liste-Fritz-Klubobmann Markus Sint

"Needs assessment necessary and justified"
"To name just a few examples: In the district of Reutte, there are currently 10 locations with sufficient capacity for another 15 years. In the Landeck district, there are as many as 42 locations with enough capacity for the next 17 years! And the situation is similar in the other districts too!" Sint wants to curb this senseless waste of land and living space. "It is unacceptable for the state government to approve new landfills while existing ones are not being filled at all. A needs assessment is therefore necessary and justified. The ÖVP and SPÖ must end their blockade policy and focus on the well-being of the population!", demands Liste Fritz parliamentary group leader Markus Sint.

For him and Liste Fritz, it is a matter of stopping the uncontrolled growth of landfill sites in the province, protecting the population from additional truck journeys, dust, particulate matter and harmful noise and preserving the natural, economic and living environment.