Government: landfills for storing mine waste should be put in order

There are still 19 old landfills in Finland for the storage of mine waste, which cause serious harm to the environment and human health.

Most of the mines were closed several decades ago.

Now the government is launching a large-scale study in order to find out what toxic substances from mining get into nature and who should pay for putting landfills in proper order.

For example, a zinc mine closed 30 years ago in Central Finland has so polluted the soil that nearby Lake Kangasjärvi had to be drained.

In most of the mines, Outokumpu was the last owner, but is not going to automatically compensate for the restoration of the area.