Asbestos pollution: how to report it and what to do

Asbestos-cement (“slate”) roofing sheets dumped at the edge of a forest, crushed sheets spread on a road, or a roof torn down without any protection at all: these are environmental offences. They can and should be reported. In 2025 the State Environmental Service (VVD) received more than 7,800 reports from members of the public about various environmental offences.[1]

How to report

The “Vides SOS” app

Download the app, photograph the problem, add a short description and send it.[2]

Phone

+371 26338800

The State Environmental Service’s “Vides SOS” phone line.[1] Call if an inspector needs to act quickly, for example if dust or pollution is being produced right now.

More about the VVD: vvd.gov.lv. If asbestos is being removed unsafely at a workplace, such as a construction site, you can also report it to the State Labour Inspectorate.

If you find slate in the countryside

  1. Do not touch it. Do not break it, move it or try to collect someone else’s waste yourself. Collection and disposal are carried out by licensed waste management operators.[3]
  2. Take photos, both a general view and a close-up, so that the extent is visible.
  3. Mark the location precisely: note down the coordinates or landmarks and include them in your report.
  4. Report it to the VVD in the app or by phone. The VVD will trace whoever produced the waste or the landowner, and will make sure the site is cleaned up.[3]
A fenced-off asbestos waste site with a sign: No entry, caution, asbestos
A fenced-off and marked site with asbestos-containing waste (2019).

Who is responsible for the clean-up

Waste is the responsibility of whoever produced it. If the polluter is unknown, responsibility for cleaning up the site falls on the landowner.[3] The State Environmental Service traces those responsible and supervises the clean-up. Unlawful handling of asbestos-containing waste can lead to a fine: €70–700 for individuals and €280–1,400 for legal entities (2025 figures).[4]

If the slate is on your land, deal with it as you would with your own slate: pack it and take it to a landfill. To find out how, read Slate at home.

Documented cases

Pieces of asbestos-containing waste in soil brought from the TEC-2 site to Ķekava

Asbestos-contaminated soil from Riga CHP-2 (TEC-2): Acone, Ķekava, “Jaunšķelti” (2018–2023)

In 2019, 5,478 m³ of soil was removed from the construction site of the “TEC-2” substation in Acone; asbestos-containing construction debris was found in it.[5][6] The RSU laboratory found asbestos fibres in all the samples submitted.[7][8] In Ķekava, 247.64 t of asbestos-containing waste was separated out of 2,934 m³.[5] 2,544 m³ ended up in the “Jaunšķelti” quarry; there is no information that it has been removed.[6] The State Police have opened several sets of criminal proceedings; how they relate to one another and their outcome are not publicly known.[9][10][11]

Read the full story with documents →

Sources

  1. VVD / LV portāls: Gandrīz 8000 ziņojumu gadā [Nearly 8,000 reports a year] (2026)
  2. VVD / LV portāls: VVD aicina izmantot atjaunoto “Vides SOS” lietotni [The VVD encourages the public to use the updated “Vides SOS” app] (2026)
  3. TV sižets: Kas jādara, ja dabā atrod bīstamus atkritumus [TV report: What to do if you find hazardous waste in the countryside] (VARAM, VVD, SIA “Jēkabpils pakalpojumi”; in Latvian)
  4. LSM: Kur likt veco šīferi? Saimnieki cer uz valsts atbalstu [Where to put old slate? Homeowners hope for state support] (2025)
  5. SIA “EkoDem” report on the soil replacement (submitted to the Greater Riga Regional Environmental Board of the VVD on 1 July 2019), correspondence and certificates; published at azbests.lv/tec2 in 2019–2022 (held by the portal)
  6. SIA “KARJERUIZSTRĀDE.LV” un SIA “SOLTEC” pieņemšanas-nodošanas akts Nr. 8-2019 [Acceptance and handover certificate No. 8-2019 between SIA “KARJERUIZSTRĀDE.LV” and SIA “SOLTEC”], 29 April 2019 (PDF on the “TEC-2: asbestos-contaminated soil” page)
  7. RSU Higiēnas un arodslimību laboratorija: testēšanas pārskats G/26 [RSU Laboratory of Hygiene and Occupational Diseases: test report G/26], 25 February 2019 (held by the portal)
  8. RSU Higiēnas un arodslimību laboratorija: testēšanas pārskats Nr. 2019 G/38 [RSU Laboratory of Hygiene and Occupational Diseases: test report No. 2019 G/38], 20 March 2019 (PDF in the “Documents” section)
  9. Valsts policijas Rīgas reģiona pārvalde: lēmums par kriminālprocesa Nr. 11353052619 uzsākšanu [Riga Regional Administration of the State Police: decision to open criminal proceedings No. 11353052619], 20 December 2019 (held by the portal)
  10. Valsts policijas Galvenās kriminālpolicijas pārvaldes ENAP 2. nodaļas 10.01.2022. lēmums par izņemšanas izdarīšanu un izņemšanas protokols kriminālprocesā Nr. 11905009321 [Decision of 10 January 2022 of Division 2 of the Economic Crime Enforcement Department, Central Criminal Police Department, State Police, to carry out a seizure, and the seizure record, in criminal proceedings No. 11905009321] (held by the portal)
  11. Vides konsultatīvās padomes 14.06.2023. sēdes protokols, 2. jautājums: “Par potenciālo grunts piesārņojumu ar bīstamajiem azbesta būvgružiem TEC 2 teritorijā Aconē” [Minutes of the meeting of the Environmental Consultative Council of 14 June 2023, item 2: “On potential soil contamination with hazardous asbestos construction debris on the TEC 2 site in Acone”] (VARAM)

Content checked: 01.11.2026