During his rounds through the forests near Breda, ranger Floris Hoefakker from Staatsbosbeheer comes across a lot of drug waste. This must be removed as quickly as possible, otherwise the damage to nature will be incalculable. He hopes that more eyes will be added within his team: “That can really make a difference.”
Floris Hoefakker works as a forester, also known as a green boa, at Staatsbosbeheer. He monitors whether people adhere to the rules in nature and also deals with drug waste.
Hemp waste
People quickly think of blue barrels and barrels, but there are also other types of drug waste. “For example, hemp. Hemp is the flowers that grow on the plants. They are picked and the remains are thrown in bags in the forest.”
That is a lot less harmful than the blue barrels. “It is a kind of organic waste and can simply be thrown into the green waste.” Yet cannabis growers don’t just throw it in the trash. “Of course you can smell that a lot, so then the police know where to be.”
But hemp waste also needs to be cleaned up. And that also costs money. And relative Floris and his colleagues find hemp waste more often than synthetic drug waste. “Drug waste is very much part of Brabant. It is an annoying side effect, but you have to clean it up, because the damage is incalculable if you don’t do it.”
Fewer eyes
In recent years, the province of North Brabant has made cuts in the boas of Staatsbosbeheer. Does this mean that waste dumps are less likely to be discovered? Hoefakker: “It is a logical idea that you can see less with fewer eyes. Then a dumping may be found later and that waste, those chemicals, will have longer time to penetrate the ground and the consequences will only become greater.”
According to him, cuts at the front end result in higher costs at the back end.
Hoefakker hopes that more eyes will be added. “I hope that the province of North Brabant will become more positive about the importance of our enforcement and protection. That can really make a difference.”
Curious about what cleaning up drug waste looks like? In the new episode of HOE..? we will be on the road from reporting to clearing the barrels in special suits.
