The blast could be heard from a long distance away, and pieces of the building were later found more than 100 metres from the site. Three years after the violent explosion at Special Waste System A/S in Nørre Alslev, the company is still dealing with the consequences. It has now lost a case over how long hazardous waste may be stored at the facility.
The Environment and Food Appeals Board has upheld the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s refusal to amend the company’s environmental permit. Special Waste System had sought to ease the requirement that waste destined for incineration must be fed into the furnace within two years. The company argued that the plant has been out of operation since the explosion on 22 May 2023, and that it plans to build a new facility, expected to start operating in mid-2026.
The explosion hit the company’s hazardous waste incineration plant early in the morning. Several walls and parts of the roof were either fully or partly blown out, and large sections of the building were subsequently at risk of collapse. One employee was taken to hospital with minor physical injuries. No one else was injured.
The waste may change character
The ruling states that, after the explosion, Special Waste System wanted permission to store the waste for a longer period until the plant is back in operation. The company also proposed a requirement that the amount of hazardous waste stored during that period should not exceed 1,000 tonnes.
The authorities rejected the request. The appeals board emphasises that the waste is mainly stored outdoors, and that longer storage increases the risk of problems with packaging, labelling and the condition of the waste itself. Packaging can corrode, labels can disappear or become illegible, and the waste can change character as a result of heat, cold or prolonged storage.
According to the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, this may create a risk of spills and leaks of hazardous waste into soil and surface water. The agency also points out that waste with unknown contents or damaged labelling cannot simply be sent on or incinerated, as it would require renewed identification and characterisation.
The Environment and Food Appeals Board therefore finds that the maximum two-year storage requirement is environmentally justified. The board also finds that the requirement is in line with the rules on best available techniques, which are intended to prevent the accumulation of waste.
Reported to the police
Special Waste System was reported to the police in spring 2025 in a case concerning 27 incorrect emission values. The company’s annual report states that the values were allegedly reported by a former trusted employee between 2014 and 2023. The case is being investigated both internally and by the police, and according to the latest annual report, no decision had yet been made on whether charges should be brought.
Since the explosion, Special Waste System has continued to receive waste, but the waste is being sent on to other approved facilities. With the appeals board’s decision, it is now clear that the company will not be allowed to store waste for incineration at the facility in Nørre Alslev for more than two years.
Special Waste System has been asked what the decision specifically means for the company’s operations and its handling of waste after the 2023 explosion. The company has also been asked whether any waste at the facility is approaching or has exceeded the two-year limit, and how it will be handled if so. The company has not responded to a request for comment.
