site.btaMultiple Problems in Sofia's Recyclable Waste Management

Multiple problems have been identified in the management of Sofia's recyclable waste, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said Wednesday after visiting the city's waste sorting plant at the village of Yana. He said that problems exist along the entire chain.

The waste sorting plant is expected to process 90% of the waste that is brought in, and deposit 10% but in reality it processes 10% and deposits 90%. The Mayor believes that is due to a number of flaws in the system.

He also said that there were visible signs of poor management due to which its CEO, Friedrich Katzer. Nikolay Savov has been appointed as acting CEO.

The mayor has ordered an audit of the company to get an in-depth picture of its conditions and the problems, and start addressing them. The report from the audit will be made public, Terziev said.

Savov explained that the processing centre had sent no plastic for recycling because the plastic waste that ends up in it is of poor quality and recyclers refuse to take it. Same goes for the paper waste. As for the metal waste, there is not enough of it to send it for recycling.

He also said that half of the garbage collection trucks go directly to the landfill and skip the processing plant altogether. Most sorting lines don't work due to lack of maintenance. The high dust content in the waste further worsens the condition of the machines.