The manager of a recycling plant on the outskirts of Thessaloniki has been arrested for allegedly causing extensive environmental pollution and operating with a forged license, authorities said Wednesday.
A police statement said the premises in Kalohori, an industrial zone close to protected wetlands some eight kilometers west of the northern port city, were raided Monday by special environmental protection squad officers following a series of complaints.
It said the waste recycling and scrap metal dealing firm was found to lack a legal operating permit. Instead, police were shown a forged permit.
The statement said the premises were covered with mounds of waste including rubble from construction projects and demolitions, scrap wood, plastic and fabric, scrap metal and old electrical and electronic appliances.
“This all resulted in pollution and degradation of the environment and the subsoil, with a risk of contaminating the water table, as well as the in degradation of local residents’ quality of life,” the statement said.
