Goodyear offers clean-up services after pollution spreads across neighbourhood

At the end of November, several residents of Colmar-Berg reported to the municipality that their terraces, furniture, and building facades were covered in black soot.

Speaking to our colleagues from RTL.lu, Mayor Mandy Arendt confirmed these complaints. Many locals had contacted the town hall in recent weeks about black soot particles spreading across the residential area. One resident also reached out to RTL to report that, in addition to their building, their vegetables were completely covered in soot.

This photo, sent by an anonymous resident of Colmar-Berg, shows the soot pollution on a piece of garden furniture. / © RTL-Mobile Reporter

In response, the municipality contacted Goodyear, suspecting that the pollution could be linked to the company's Colmar-Berg facility. And indeed, Goodyear was informed on 24 November 2024 that high concentrations of black carbon (soot particles) had been detected near the factory.

Mayor Arendt explained that Goodyear had informed the local authorities that a technical malfunction at the plant had led to the release of carbon black, a byproduct of tyre production. A leak in the plant's carbon black supply system caused the soot to accumulate on the roof of the building. Strong winds then carried the particles into the surrounding residential area.

The municipality emphasised to Goodyear the importance of keeping residents informed and maintaining communication with local officials in case the incident caused any damage. According to Mayor Arendt, Goodyear was "very responsive" and "did not abandon the population to its fate," which the municipality appreciated.

Goodyear promptly offered to have any soiled facades, terraces, or other affected objects professionally cleaned at the company's expense. Residents can reach out to the company by email at communication_lux@goodyear.com or by phone at 81992265 to arrange cleaning.

The company also reassured the public that the industrial particles were not harmful to health and that the black residue could be easily removed using warm water and soap. In its press release, Goodyear expressed "sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused" to the residents.

Following the publication of the article, our colleagues from RTL.lu interviewed local residents and discovered that soot pollution has been an ongoing issue for many years in Colmar-Berg. After the incident on 24 November, the Environment Agency was called in to investigate, but its officials found no further concerns.