ÉKM: Over 12,750 Tons of Illegal Waste Eliminated from Hungarian Forests Since 2020

The elimination of illegal waste in Hungary poses a serious challenge for state forestry companies year after year. According to the latest information from the Ministry for the Living Environment (ÉKM), nearly 13,000 tons of garbage have been removed from nature since 2020. The data provides a clear picture that the protection of the natural environment continues to face significant hurdles.

National Data and the Scale of Illegal Waste

State forestry companies must continuously eliminate hundreds of unauthorized dumps on an annual basis. According to official calculations, between early 2020 and July 27, 2026, intervention was required in exactly 4,159 cases, during which 12,750 tons of waste were removed from the affected areas.

This trend has continued in recent years:

• In 2025, more than 2,130 tons were collected across 527 cases.

• Up to July 27, 2026, nearly 637 tons of illegally deposited trash were transported away in another 308 cases.

The ministry’s statement highlights that the data shows a sharp contradiction between society’s growing sensitivity towards natural values and the everyday, environmentally damaging behavior of certain citizens.

Regional Differences and the Burden on Forestry Companies

The problem caused by unauthorized dumping varies greatly in both space and magnitude. Within the examined period, 2021 was an outlier year: 803 cases resulted in the removal of over 5,276 tons of garbage, accounting for more than 41 percent of the total examined volume.

The disproportion between the number of cases and the volume removed is clearly demonstrated by the data from individual forestry companies:

• In the area managed by VERGA Veszprémi Erdőgazdaság Zrt., only 82 cases were registered during the period (barely 2 percent of the national total), yet this accounted for more than 40 percent of the total volume, amounting to over 5,100 tons.

• In contrast, Pilisi Parkerdő Zrt. intervened in 1,280 cases (nearly 31 percent of the national total), but the removed volume was roughly 2,135 tons.

• The 2026 statistics (up to July 27) for Gemenc Zrt. show that just three cases involved the elimination of 408 tons of trash, making up nearly 64 percent of the national volume registered up to that point this year. This confirms ÉKM’s summary that some regions deal with frequent small dumps, while others face massive, concentrated waste hotspots.

Prevention and Stricter Inspections

The biggest difficulty is that unlawfully deposited garbage quickly reproduces in many locations. Because of this, prevention serves as a core strategic task for forestry companies alongside physical elimination.

To defend the environment, forestry companies conduct regular area inspections, install gates and other physical barriers, utilize camera surveillance, and combat the phenomenon through close cooperation with authorities and public awareness campaigns. The statement points out that the most severe cases are not the result of hikers leaving litter behind; large-volume dumping is most frequently carried out by vehicles transporting waste to forest edges, as well as alongside forest and public roads.

FAQ 

1. How much illegal waste has been eliminated from Hungarian forests since 2020?

According to ÉKM data, over 12,750 tons of illegally deposited garbage were removed between early 2020 and July 27, 2026.

2. Which year had the highest volume of waste elimination?

The year 2021 was an outlier, with over 5,276 tons of waste removed across 803 cases.

3. How do forestry companies combat illegal dumping?

They aim to prevent new cases by using regular area inspections, physical barriers (like gates), camera surveillance, and cooperation with authorities.

Source: mti