Brief information about the Kölliken hazardous waste landfill (SMDK)

The Kölliken hazardous waste landfill, which is located in the middle of a residential area in the Swiss Mittelland, was set up and operated by a consortium (the cantons of Aargau and Zurich, the City of Zurich and the Basle chemical industry) from 1978 to 1985. As a result of environmentally-related issues, the landfill was, however, closed by the judical communal authorities before it had been completely filled. During the operational period, a total of approx. 300,000 m³ or 475,000 t of hazardous waste was deposited in drums, big bags and as loose waste.

Since 1986, extensive investigation and safety work to the extent of around CHF 150 million have been carried out by the consortium. Without the introduction of sustainable measures the landfill would have represented a long-term hazard for the nearby aquifers. The waste matter will now be completely removed in accordance with the decree of the cantonal supervisory authorities. 

For this purpose, three sealed halls with an internal negative pressure were built in 2006/2007. The exhaust air is continuously extracted from the halls, and is cleaned using activated carbon filters. The remediation work started in the autumn of 2007, and should be completed in summer of 2016. After the remediation, the halls will be removed and the area will be recultivated.

Based on the updated schedule (status march 2011) the total costs are estimated to be around 770 million CHF. In addition to the Web site, visitors can also obtain information from the Information Pavilion. Please direct any questions to info@smdk.ch.
 

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