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Kurum closes the steel plant in Elbasan. Notice sent to 500 workers
2024-08-24 19:45:04 / AKTUALITET
Even the last few days the Turkish company 'Kurrum; has been put in the epicenter of the toxic waste scandal, the company has informed the workers that it has closed its activity with the claim that it is in the process of repair.
According to reports, the 500 employees of the steel plant and the processing plant have been notified by 'Kurrum' of the unilateral termination of the contract without an official reason for the suspension.
As of August 1, the steel plant has stopped working, and from August 20 the processing plant will also be closed, while the exact reason for the closure, if it has to do with toxic waste issues, has not yet been announced. or any other reason.
After the closure of the factories, 500 families in Elbasan will remain without income from August 20, and until now, there has been no confirmation from Kurum leaders about the decision made, although officially it is said that the closure of the activity is due to the overhaul.
We remind you that the company "Kurum International" is the origin of hundreds of tons of suspected hazardous waste that were exported from the port of Durrës to Thailand, spreading a global alarm.
BIRN: "Kurum" hides behind 'hazardous waste' exported from the port of Durrës
The Turkish company "Kurum International" has been operating in the former Elbasan Metallurgical Plant since 1998 and is an important regional supplier of iron rods for construction. With hundreds of border workers, it is also an important employer for the city of Elbasan.
In order to reduce the pollution caused by the industry, since 2010, Kurum has installed a filter system for capturing ash residues from the treatment of chimney gases in the former Metallurgical Plant. According to the company's environmental self-monitoring statements, obtained by BIRN through the Right to Information Act, it still produces thousands of tons of hazardous waste chimney ash per year.
The waste from the gas cleaning filters has brought constant trouble for "Kurum", as it is classified as hazardous substance waste and is reported by it under the code 10 02 07* according to the current catalog of waste.
"These dusts that are captured by the system are bagged and can be exported or used locally. For this period, there was no evacuation of this waste, they were deposited in the relevant square and are a raw material for the production of paints since it is in a high % of ZnO," Kurum reported in June 2021.
The total amount of this waste produced for more than a decade by Kurum and its destination remains unknown, but only for a 3-month period, the company reported that it had accumulated 2500 tons of dust, which is otherwise declared as zinc oxide.
A part of this waste is recycled from 2022 by another Albanian-Chinese company based in the Metallurgical Combine in Bradashesh, called "Alliance Resources". But Alliance Resources has the capacity to process only a small amount of the huge waste produced by Kurum.
"We take zinc oxide from Kurum and process it in our line, where we take it from 20-25 percent to 55-60%, which is then allowed to be traded freely in the EU and other countries," Erdest told BIRN. Nushi, former administrator and employee of the company "Alliance Resource".
"Our capacities are limited and in 9 months we can process about 2500 tons. Kurum produces much larger quantities," he added.
According to the verifications carried out by the Durrës Police, then referred to the Prosecutor's Office, an amount of 2800 tons of waste produced by Kurum was allegedly sold to the company "Sokolaj" sh.pk in October and November of 2023.
Gjovana Sokolaj testified to the police that the product with which the 102 containers were filled, which she considers to be iron oxide, was purchased by the company "Kurum" for a total value of 41 thousand dollars. Then, Sokolaj sold this quantity to its sister in Croatia, GS Minerals Doo for 141 thousand dollars, while the containers left the port of Durrës with the final destination Thailand on July 4, 2024.
But almost a month later, Sokolaj testifies that he received a disturbing notice from the container company.
"...informs me that the 102 containers that my company had launched will return to the port of Durrës, because the port of Singapore refuses to unload, as they suspect that they are filled with toxic substances," Sokolaj stated.
"I returned her email and told her that for the goods loaded in the container, which is iron oxide, the analyzes were done by Sokolaj sh.pk and Kurum sh.a and it does not result that there are toxic residues," she claimed .
Public records reviewed by BIRN however show that Sokolaj's company in Croatia, GS Minerals Doo, openly advertises its trade in EAFD hazardous waste as well as zinc oxides online.
In one of the advertisements, the company says that it has low-grade zinc concentrates ready at the port of Durrës and also has EAFD ash powder for sale.
Alongside the notice of the dust containing hazardous waste, she posted a photo of dozens of filled bags - some wet from the rain and some torn and with dust scattered outside, whose location could not be reached. to be verified by BIRN.
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