What is planned?
The company HKV is planning to build a landfill site for mineral waste in the centre of the municipality of Rüdersdorf near Berlin, between the districts of Herzfelde and Hennickendorf. The planning documents were on public display from 4 April to 3 May 2022 inclusive.
- The intention is to construct a landfill site for building rubble (landfill class DK 0) between the districts of Herzfelde and Hennickendorf that is approx. 400 metres long and around 40 metres high (see page 71 of the application documents).
- The landfill will be constructed over approx. 17 years, plus time for the landfill base and surface sealing. (see page 26 of the application documents).
- Construction waste of approx. 5,860,000m³ is to be stored. This corresponds to approx. 345,000 semi-trailer tippers with a loading volume of 17m³. (see page 26 of the application documents).
- Due to direct deliveries to the landfill, an average lorry traffic of 80 lorries per day (26t vehicle) and a maximum of 160 lorries per day can be expected. In addition, there are 20 lorries per day for materials that have to be crushed at the recycling site beforehand. (see page 64 of the application documents).
What is the position of the municipality of Rüdersdorf bei Berlin on the project?
Excerpts from the press release 2022/06 of the municipality of Rüdersdorf near Berlin
The municipality of Rüdersdorf near Berlin considers the site for the planned 40 m high building rubble landfill between the villages of Herzfelde and Hennickendorf - in the centre of our municipal area - to be completely unsuitable.
The municipality of Rüdersdorf bei Berlin, supported by a clear mandate from the municipal council and the people in the community, sought an early and intensive dialogue with both the state authorities and Herzfelder Kreislaufwirtschafts- und Verwertungs GmbH (HKV) as the owner and constructor of the landfill and suggested alternative uses. It is incomprehensible why the focus is once again on a high-emission utilisation of the site instead of building on responsible ecological development that also benefits the people who live here.
The municipality of Rüdersdorf near Berlin has been a centre of the building materials industry for centuries and the people here paid the dusty price for the building prosperity of Berlin and its surrounding area. This has shaped and embittered the local people to this day. The backfilling of the former clay pits is understandable for them - but the subsequent piling up of a 40 metre high mountain of rubble, however it might be developed in 20 years' time, is not. In the 2010 land use plan, which is still valid, the municipality therefore stipulated that the area should be reforested at the level of the surrounding terrain and that any ponds created should be preserved as far as possible.
The municipality's largest employer is no longer the building materials industry, but the healthcare sector. As a clinic and healthcare centre with its own university hospital of the Brandenburg Medical School, it is now known beyond the region. This development is set to continue alongside the increasingly clean, future-orientated industry and limestone quarrying, which will remain indispensable for the next 40 years. A landfill site for building rubble that goes beyond backfilling is therefore absolutely unacceptable from the municipality's point of view.
Mayor Sabine Löser commented: "Our municipality is no longer prepared to pay the dusty price for the structural prosperity of Berlin and the surrounding area. We are proud of the activities of our industrial companies, which focus on sustainability and innovation, hydrogen technologies, waste heat utilisation and CO2 reduction. Together, we will fight to ensure that this sustainable thinking is also taken into account in the planning supported by the State Environment Agency and the State Mining Authority. To ensure that waste avoidance and recycling help to prevent the construction waste landfill in the centre of the municipality of Rüdersdorf. The people who live here will actively participate in the process. They are the ones affected and their voices weigh more heavily than official statements. We will make it clear that the municipality of Rüdersdorf near Berlin is no longer a suitable location for a landfill site for construction waste."
Process status:
Update, 16 April 2024:
Parallel to the landfill project, the project developer also submitted an application for approval of the main operating plan for the Herzfelde opencast clay mine. This was approved by the responsible State Office for Mining, Geology and Raw Materials (LBGR) in March 2024. The municipality of Rüdersdorf near Berlin, together with BUND Brandenburg e.V., has lodged an objection against the approval notice for the main operating plan.
Update, 3 March 2023:
The municipality of Rüdersdorf bei Berlin has welcomed the basic orientation of the draft of the sub-plan for mineral waste in its statement on the sub-plan for mineral waste. The municipality informs about this in a press release.
Update, 6 January 2023:
Since 28 December 2022 and until 3 March 2023, we have been conducting the public participation on the Waste Management Plan of the State of Brandenburg, in particular on the "Mineral Waste" sub-plan and the environmental report. Here we provide information on the background and opportunities for participation.
2022:
The municipality of Rüdersdorf bei Berlin has submitted comments on the landfill project. These clearly stated that the construction of a landfill site clearly conflicts with the municipality's development goals. The objections are currently being examined by the State Office for the Environment.