The fence around the polluted allotment garden complex on the Sluisdijk in Helmond will be locked on Monday so that the soil can be cleaned up. The board is firmly opposed and does not think the cleaning is necessary. “It is fertile soil,” says chairman Jos Henraat. “If you put the shovel in the ground, the worms come with it.” It took the gardeners years of work to get the soil like this.
The allotment gardens made the news in 2021. The RIVM advised people not to eat vegetables from the garden. It contained too much PFAS, a collective name for chemicals that are difficult to degrade, from the company Custom Powders.
The owners of the more than 40 gardens had to wait a long time for remediation. “Many gardeners are old and can’t handle the stress at all,” says Jos’ wife, Elena Henraat. Tears spring to her eyes. According to her, people have stopped their hobby because of the uncertainty.
“With the remediation, the soil goes to the philistines.”
According to the municipality, the decision to remediate was taken last year. She wanted the tenants to have maximum say. The permits and exemptions for remediation also had to be arranged. The top layer of 50 to 100 centimeters is replaced in March. The city hopes the work will be completed by April 1.
But the board is afraid of a layer of dead sand instead of their fertile vegetable gardens. “With a remediation, the soil goes all the way to the philistines,” says Jos. According to the municipality, the soil that people get back is of good quality. in a comment.
Jos and Elena come up with a report. The amount of PFAS has fallen by 60 percent in more than 2 years, they say. According to the municipality, this is not correct. The amount of PFAS in the gardens is many times higher than the standard, says the municipality. Jos and Elena: “The PFAS washes away by itself here. Do another investigation.”
“Many people over 80 wonder if they will ever have their garden again.”
The gardeners will not be able to garden like they do now for years to come, think Jos and Elena. “Many people over 80 wonder if they will ever have their garden again,” says Jos. “While cleaning up is for nothing in our experience. Our world is breaking down. Compensation is also not good. We were going to get everything we had back, but I’m not even getting half.”
According to the municipality, the horticulturists are fully compensated for their possessions and can choose between money, kind or a combination of the two.
The municipality is concerned about horticulturists who do want to be remediated, while the board is against it. Earlier this week there was a consultation evening, where a large group of people indicated that they were in favor of the remediation. They do not feel represented by the board and disapprove of their actions, says the municipality.
“Not true at all,” says Jos. He says it’s just a small group. “But in recent months there have been more people for the remediation to get rid of the misery.”
Jos and Elena have not been buying vegetables from the supermarket for years. “Our endive tastes much better,” says Elena. “That’s because it was harvested 20 minutes ago.” The couple says they are not worried about PFAS. “People here have been eating from the garden for years.”
READ ALSO: RIVM: Do not eat vegetables from Helmond allotment gardens
