Forty-four thousand tonnes of extremely toxic industrial waste, buried more than 500 meters underground in Wittelsheim, Alsace, has been the subject of a judicial ruling confirming its permanent confinement. The waste includes harmful substances like arsenic, cyanide, mercury, asbestos, and pesticide residues. It was stored between 1999 and 2002 in galleries of an old potash mine known as Stocamine. Initially, the site was authorized for reversible storage, but a fire in 2002 led to the permanent closure of the facility. The site was unique in France as the only one authorized to accept "class 0" waste, which is considered especially dangerous due to its high toxicity. Efforts to retrieve the waste were made between 2014 and 2017, but only about 2,000 tonnes of mercury-containing waste was extracted, leaving the majority still buried. Over time, the underground galleries deteriorated, making retrieval increasingly risky. The location of the waste beneath the Alsace groundwater aquifer, one of the largest freshwater reserves in Europe, has raised concerns. This aquifer stretches into Germany and Switzerland, making the potential contamination of such a critical water resource a major environmental issue. Critics have long argued that the waste should not be permanently buried under this vital water source. After years of legal disputes, the French government, under Minister of Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili, decided in 2021 to permanently bury the waste. This decision was later challenged, and the original prefectural decree was annulled in October 2021 due to insufficient financial guarantees. The government responded by including a state financial guarantee in the 2022 finance law, allowing the resumption of confinement work. However, each phase of the project faced legal challenges. In November 2023, the Strasbourg Administrative Court temporarily halted the final burial due to an appeal by the Alsace Nature association. This decision was later overturned by the Council of State in early 2024, allowing the work to continue. On June 17, 2025, the Strasbourg Administrative Court made a final ruling, rejecting the demands of environmental associations and local authorities for the removal of the 42,000 tonnes of toxic waste. The court followed the assessment of a public rapporteur who evaluated the environmental risks of both retrieval and permanent burial. The court concluded that retrieving the waste is no longer feasible under acceptable safety conditions for both personnel and the environment. The chosen method of confinement involves filling the empty galleries, isolating the area with twelve concrete barriers, sealing the shafts, and covering them with reinforced concrete slabs. Retrieval of the waste would have cost between 309 and 384 million euros, compared to 181 million euros for permanent confinement. A criminal investigation has been ongoing since July 2021 by the Central Office for Combating Environmental and Public Health Offenses. This indicates that the Stocamine case involves not only administrative procedures but also potential legal responsibilities that could be addressed in court. The case highlights the complex balance between environmental protection, public safety, and the long-term management of hazardous waste.