“If I want to sit outside, I first have to dust my garden furniture.” Resident Ed Graman (68) from Breda is done with it. According to him, waste and rubble processing companies along the Mark near the Haagse Beemden district have been causing noise, dust and health concerns for years. Because residents do not feel heard by the municipality and province, the Air and Sound Action Group is now going to court.
“We want an independent investigation into what substances are released here and how much nuisance there really is,” says Ed Graman of the action group. “Now we as residents have to prove that it is harmful. That does not seem to me to be the right way.”
The action group has been fighting the nuisance caused by four companies on the industrial estate across the water for eight years. During a walk on the dike, retiree Graman points out ships being unloaded and mountains of rubble being processed. “All kinds of things are processed here: construction rubble, demolition wood, plastics and other waste. This is finely ground and reused. For example, for the path we are walking on now.”
“At peak times the noise is just very loud.”
According to him, breaking the rubble in particular produces a lot of noise. “With a southeasterly wind, you can sometimes no longer have a normal conversation in the garden due to the sound of the rubble breakers.”
The residents say that noise measurements have so far yielded little. According to Graman, the measurements taken always fall just within the standard. “But an average does not say everything. At peak times the noise is simply very loud.”
Residents are also concerned about dust. The action group fears that processing construction and demolition waste may release harmful substances, such as particulate matter, quartz dust or asbestos residues. But they have no hard evidence for this. “That’s the problem,” says Ed Graman. “We don’t have the resources to investigate that ourselves. They say they keep things well wet, but you can now see for yourself that dust is coming off.”
According to him, the municipality and province mainly refer to permits and existing rules. “Then we are told that companies are adhering to the permit and that there is therefore no reason to intervene.”
“We just want to know if it is safe. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”
This causes frustration among residents. In fact, it looks like they’re getting drenched in the rain. For example, last week there was a hearing at the municipality of Breda about the extension of the permit for the company Sando Puinrecycling. They want to remove the noise-reducing measures in the form of noise barriers.
“They no longer think that is so necessary,” says Graman. “How can the municipality give permission for this if we are already so bothered by noise? Yes, that is very sad. When you see how much time you spend on entering into discussions and you see all those peripheral movements, I wonder what the municipality has priority. Not the health of the citizens!”
The municipality of Breda responds formally: “In general, companies must comply with the applicable laws and regulations. If that is not the case, we take signals of nuisance seriously and deal with them in accordance with the applicable procedures.”
Going to court therefore seems to be the last straw for the action group. Residents there hope to enforce stricter controls and more independent research. “We just want to know if it is safe,” says Graman. “That’s not much to ask.”
