Environment Day 2025
Equipped with protective suits, boots and gloves, around 50 GEOTEST employees entered the ‘La Pila’ landfill site in Hauterive. At first glance, there is little to remind one of a landfill site: a small forest grows on the hill sloping down to the Saane river, and there are no smells that could be associated with waste.
A small forest grows on the landfill site.
But the seemingly idyllic scene is deceptive, according to officials from the Canton of Fribourg, which currently owns the land. Municipal waste from the city of Fribourg was dumped at the La Pila landfill site for around 20 years, until it was closed in 1973.
Loïc Constantin, head of the Waste and Contaminated Sites division of the Canton of Fribourg, explains the plans for remediation.
Further, it is now clear that this site, located directly on the Saane river, was used to dump much more than just ‘ordinary’ waste: investigations carried out since 2004 have identified polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the subsoil, which originate from industrial waste, such as capacitors and transformers, and are hazardous to health and the environment.
The view from the highest part of the landfill shows that a steep slope formed by waste overgrown with vegetation leads directly to the banks of the Saane river.
This is not the only reason why the Canton of Fribourg now wants to remediate this landfill site. According to a study, part of the landfill is at risk of sliding and thus transporting pollutants into the Saane. In 2007, the State Council even imposed a temporary fishing ban in this section of the river.
Immediate measures have prevented the upper part of the landfill from sliding for the time being. In addition, preparatory measures for the remediation have been implemented to limit the discharge of pollutants into the river until the full remediation takes place.
Sheet pile walls block the discharge of pollutants from La Pila into the Saane river.
The distance between the landfill site and the Saane river is only a few metres.
Contaminated sites and contaminated locations, with their many challenges, are one of GEOTEST’s core areas of expertise. On Environment Day, employees not only had the chance to see the situation for themselves on site but also gained valuable insights for their day-to-day work.
In the past, waste was transported here by lorry and dumped in the landfill.
On the second day of Environment Day, several GEOTEST project managers shared their experiences of challenges encountered during project implementation.
On Environment Day, GEOTEST employees shared their everyday work experiences with their colleagues.
In an interactive workshop, participants developed possible approaches and solutions. One thing became apparent time and again: clear and transparent communication from the outset is the best way to ensure successful cooperation with clients and partners.
Environment Day offers GEOTEST employees the opportunity to learn about projects, people and approaches for solutions.
The participants engaged in lively and open discussions, thereby actively contributing to internal experience building, knowledge development, and exchanges between different work locations.
