The billion-dollar waste business

For years, waste has been illegally dumped or burned in Europe, leading to billions of euros in profits for some individuals. The practice is devastating the environment, with toxic smog in Bucharest resulting from the incineration of German waste. But there are those fighting back.

Octavian Berceanu, a former commissioner for the Romanian environmental police, has become a climate activist who hunts down waste smugglers, describing them as “organized crime structures.” Together with Romanian prosecutor Teodor Nita and the European law enforcement agency Europol, they are investigating the notorious waste mafia. However, their work is challenging, and it’s hard to prove the involvement of the companies, intermediaries, and clients behind these illegal deals. In a report by Lavinia Pitu, this documentary delves into the dark world of waste smuggling, exposing the high costs of greed and the hope for a better future for the environment.