Environmental inspectors today confirmed that the Drisla waste dump – the largest dump site in Macedonia – was burning dangerous waste it was not authorized to burn.

According to Sreten Stojkovski, acting head of the environmental inspection unit, the dump site accepted pesticides, acids, waste containing mercury, asbestos and two dozen other types of toxic and dangerous waste. The site has a large incinerator, but due to its technical capacity and how close it is to the capital, it is not allowed to burn all types of waste.

Stojkovski said that Drisla is now ordered to stop burning 26 types of waste.

The revelation comes after Drisla was placed under city management following a major scandal in Bulgaria. In January 2020 it was revealed that its then director Goran Angelov operated a private company that transported Italian waste and burned it in power plants in Bulgaria. Angelov claimed that he never used the Drisla incinerator for burning of imported waste, but his “side-gig” caused outrage and serious suspicion that Drisla was also burning imported garbage.