Avannaata Kommunia has requested approval to be able to burn waste in the open and has criticized Naalakkersuisut in an open letter for the slow processing of the request. Naalakkersuisoq for the environment has approved the municipality’s application and at the same time criticizes the municipality’s efforts in the area of waste.
Burning waste in the open in landfills is prohibited. But it is not unknown that waste problems become even greater in the spring when the snow melts, also in Avannaata Kommunia.
The municipality therefore sent an application on 18 March to be allowed to burn waste in the open to the Department of the Environment. But the municipality is still waiting for an answer, wrote member of the municipal board of Avannaata Kommunia and chairman of the technical committee, Sakio Fleischer (S), in an open letter on 16 June to naalakkersuisoq for the environment, Jørgen Rosbach (D).
– The application was sent on 18 March 2026 and has not yet been answered. The department has stated that they are only waiting for Naalakkersuisoq’s signature. This explanation has been repeated several times over a long period, writes Sakio Fleischer.
In a reply to the municipality on 18 June, Naalakkersuisoq wrote that the municipality will be allowed to burn waste in the open:
– Avannaata Kommunia has been granted a dispensation for open burning in the municipality until 15 September 2026, writes Jørgen Rosbach.
It is not clear from the response when Naalakkersuisut approved the municipality’s request, and Jørgen Rosbach says the following to the municipality’s criticism of the long processing time:
– Due to general consultation processes, the processing of the application has been time-consuming.
Naalakkersuisoq: Avannaata Kommunia is not getting better
The handling of waste in Avannaata Kommunia has been a challenging area for many of the past years. It is the municipality that is responsible for waste management, and naalakkersuisoq criticizes the municipality in his reply:
– For a number of years, Naalakkersuisut has accepted Avannaata Kommunia’s application for a dispensation for open burning, but without seeing improvements in waste management.
– Dispensation for open burning of waste is only intended as a temporary emergency solution for handling waste, writes Jørgen Rosbach.
Committee chairman Sakio Fleischer acknowledges that the municipality still needs exemptions.
In the coming years, there will continue to be a need for open burning until the planned improvements in the waste area are completed, writes Sakio Fleischer.
Among other things, he writes in his open letter that the municipality spends around DKK 30 million annually on waste management.
Want to see the waste for yourself
Naalakkersuisoq for environment plans to travel to Avannaata Kommunia at the end of July. Here he expects to be accompanied by mayor Lars Erik Gabrielsen (S).
– The purpose is to see Avannaata Kommunia’s waste situation. I am very much looking forward to this tour, as it will provide an opportunity for important discussions about waste, writes Jørgen Rosbach.
