Dismemberment killing reveals shortcomings in Helsinki waste disposal practices

Police searched for body parts in wrong dumpsite

print this

The investigation into September's grisly dismemberment murder in Malmi has inadvertently revealed misconduct in Helsinki's waste disposal practices.
      YTV Waste Management, the body responsible for waste disposal in the whole of the Helsinki metropolitan area, is supposed to ensure that all household waste goes to the Ämmässuo dumpsite co-owned by the relevant municipalities, but contrary to the licence conditions some waste has ended up in a privately-owned Lassila & Tikanoja treatment plant in Kerava instead.
      The police investigation into the slaying started with the discovery of a severed woman's head in a rubbish skip close to the Malmi swimming hall in September.
      Other body parts were later sought at the Ämmässuo landfill site, once the search through the Malmi district had proved fruitless.
      Some of the missing body parts then emerged in the district of Vartioharju, after which YTV discovered that truckloads of household waste from both Vartioharju and Malmi had mistakenly been taken to Kerava instead of to Ämmässuo.
      Police had wasted time and effort searching through the wrong site.
     
According to the licensing agreement, all waste from YTV's area is supposed to be taken to Ämmässuo. The Kerava treatment plant is only allowed to accept building, industrial, and packaging waste.
      When accepting household waste, the Lassila & Tikanoja treatment plant has breached the terms of its environmental licence. Lassila & Tikanoja have also been responsible for some of the waste transportation.
      The treatment plant has been ordered to pay YTV EUR 30,000 in compensation for the lost waste treatment expenses.
      According to YTV production manager Juha Talvio, the unlawful activities started at the beginning of the year. Talvio says that some 677 tons of waste, or 148 truckloads in all, has ended up at the wrong address.
     
Line manager Arto Nivalainen, of Lassila & Tikanoja, claims that the unlawful waste deliveries were the result of a human error.
      "We had a substitute driver, who followed the wrong directions."
      According to the waste law, dumpsites owned by municipalities are subject to taxation, whereas private dumpsites are tax-free.
      Nivalainen denies that avoiding taxation would have been the reason behind any deliberate wrongdoing.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Police solve Malmi dismemberment killing (7.10.2004)
  Police to call for remand of one of two men held over Malmi killing (30.9.2004)
  Search continues for missing body parts of Malmi murder victim (29.9.2004)

Helsingin Sanomat