Sofia Municipality, Bulgaria Govt at Daggers Drawn over Garbage

Suhodol dumpsite was reopened at the beginning of December 2007 after the environment ministry backed the controversial option to prevent a looming garbage crisis in the capital. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

In line with their history of bad blood, Sofia municipality has taken a firm stand against the government's plans for a shut-down of the capital only operational landfill by 2010.

The head of Sofia Municipal Council Andrey Ivanov commented on Sunday that the bill that supposedly aims the collecting and recycling of waste in the capital in a sustainable way will actually lead to more frozen EU aid, fines and another garbage crisis.

"The new bill breaches the pillars of democracy in Bulgaria and its constitution, which clearly states that the municipality is the only body entitled to fix the fees and taxes in the city," Ivanov said. "This bill can be referred to as a bill for excluding Sofia from the European Union."

Representatives of the crisis headquarters, established by the prime minister in a bid to organize better garbage collection in the capital, have suggested that a new landfill is open to house the capital garbage by the time a plant for recycling it is built. They however refused to disclose its location or cost.

Residents of Suhodol district in Sofia have repeatedly staged rallies, demanding the closing of the dumpsite on the western outskirts of Bulgaria's capital, citing health and environmental concerns.

The dumpsite was reopened at the beginning of December 2007 after the environment ministry backed the controversial option to prevent a looming garbage crisis in the capital.

Suhodol residents forced Sofia authorities to introduce crisis management in July 2005 after blockading the landfill. The protests left the streets in the capital littered with garbage, posing a serious risk to human health and the environment.

Finding a solution to Sofia ongoing waste problems is a politically sensitive issue in the months before the parliamentary elections in the summer as the mayor of the capital Boyko Borisov heads the opposition party with the highest public approval rates so far.

The Socialist-led government officially declared a state of emergency in Sofia at the beginning of April over lack of adequate waste removal, saying that the garbage problems threatened national security and citing health and environmental concerns. The opposition party of Sofia mayor GERB dismissed this as muscle pumping.

 

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