Three charged over improper handling of hazardous waste in Georgia

Prosecutors in Georgia have charged three people with violating rules on the handling of environmentally hazardous substances, following an investigation by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In a statement on Thursday, the Prosecutor’s Office said the inquiry established that the director of Eco Medical Group and Ecology and Clean Environment had set up an illegal operated hazardous waste storage facility in an abandoned building in the city of Samtredia.

A large quantity of medical waste dangerous to human health and the environment had been temporarily stored at the site.

Law enforcement officers detained the company director, an employee of the same company, and a staff member of the municipality’s Improvement and Services Centre on the basis of a court order.

All three have been charged under Article 288, Part One of Georgia’s Criminal Code, which concerns violations of rules governing the handling of hazardous substances or waste.