From the archive: The sludge king: how one man turned an industrial wasteland into his own El Dorado

The Audio Long Read

The Guardian

Society & Culture

4.3 • 2.4K Ratings

🗓️ 16 July 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

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Summary

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2022: when a Romanian businessman returned to his hometown and found a city blighted by mining waste, he hatched a plan to restore it to its former glory. He became a local hero, but now prosecutors accuse of him a running a multimillion dollar fraud By Alexander Clapp. Read by Simon Darwen. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is The Guardian.
0:09.6	Bonjour, this is Julia Bradbury, and I've just been uncovering Normandy's hidden gems with Britney Ferries.
0:15.4	After one bite of the fresh French-themed cuisine on board, my holiday had started.
0:20.4	On land, there were retro sidecar
0:22.0	tours, barefoot hikes across shifting quicksands and even a visit to a bee farm. So with
0:27.9	adventures like these waiting, why settle for any old holiday? Uncover the Uncommon
0:32.9	with Brittany Ferries and discover more at Guardian.com forward slash uncommon holidays. This message was paid for by Brittany Ferries. Now discover more at Guardian.com forward slash uncommon holidays.
0:37.9	This message was paid for by Brittany Ferries.
0:42.7	Be enchanted by Southeast Asia and fall in love all over again with Hilton as your base.
0:49.3	Reignite the spark in Vietnam where fireworks light up the sea.
0:53.8	Help plant coral in the Maldives and create unforgettable memories.
0:58.5	Let food bring you together at world-class restaurants in the heart of Singapore.
1:03.6	Allow Hilton to introduce you to Luxe 5-star romance.
1:07.5	Discover more at theguardian.com forward slash travel Southeast Asia.
1:11.4	This message was paid for by Hilton.
1:17.8	The Guardian Archive Longread.
1:31.4	Hi, my name is Alexander Clap.
1:39.0	I'm the author of The Sludge King, how one man turned an industrial wasteland into his own El Dorado, published in 2022.
1:43.4	I stumbled upon this story almost by accident.
1:46.7	I was in Romania, in the autumn of 2020,
1:52.2	researching how and why Romania had become one of the greatest recipients of garbage in the European Union.
1:58.1	As I was leaving a police station, an officer asked me, almost in passing, if I had ever heard the strange story of Daniel Bouldor. He gave me the quick version
	...

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