Vaasa Court Inspects Remeo Plant in Rusko as Company Appeals Permit Revocation After Major 2024 Fire

On Monday, Vaasa Administrative Court made a rare on-site inspection of the Remeo waste processing facility in Rusko, Tampere, as the company appeals a November decision to revoke its environmental permit, YLE reported.

The court visit follows the Regional State Administrative Agency's November 2025 decision to cancel Remeo Refining Oy's permit after a string of regulatory breaches and a major fire in November 2024. The blaze burned for more than a week. Rescue services called the incident unusually demanding, and smoke with high particle concentrations worsened air quality for kilometres. Authorities say the plant had stored roughly double the legally permitted waste volumes at the time.

Local resident and Lintuhytin housing association member Annemari Kallioranta, who accompanied the court to the site, said piles have shrunk compared with earlier years but that serious environmental violations remain.

Remeo CEO Panu Routasalo, who has led the company for just over two years, told the court the firm has emptied its largest stockpiles and overhauled risk management since the fire. He said current operations no longer reflect the conditions cited in the permit cancellation.

Tampere environment director Kati Skippari said waste volumes have fallen, but problems persist. The city has logged 86 complaints about Remeo since 2022 and recorded 11 permit violations during the company's operations.

The court is expected to issue its decision by year-end. Any party can then appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court, a process that could delay a final outcome for years and would likely force closure of the Rusko plant if the revocation is upheld.