site.btaSofia Environmental Inspectorate Finds Multiple Violations at City's Waste Treatment Plant

Multiple breaches were found at Sofia's Municipal Waste Treatment Plant during an unannounced inspection carried out on 8 July by the Sofia Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water (RIEW), the RIEW said on Friday.

Inspectors found that refuse-derived fuel (RDF) was being stored outdoors in unauthorized areas and that the facility had failed to provide the legally required real-time remote access to its video surveillance system, despite previous orders to do so. The RIEW pointed out that it has launched administrative enforcement proceedings and issued mandatory corrective measures.

The inspection also revealed a number of operational problems. All 16 waste reception bays and 26 biodrying cells were full, while one conveyor belt feeding the sorting plant and another serving the RDF production line were out of operation. Waste was being landfilled in Cell 4, where some sections remained uncovered. The site's entrance weighbridge was temporarily offline for repairs but was restored before the inspection concluded. Inspectors also confirmed that an area outside the landfill, where plastic waste and RDF had previously been stored illegally, had been cleared.

The RIEW ordered Sofia Municipality to immediately stop storing waste outside the boundaries permitted under the facility's environmental permit and to ensure continuous real-time remote access to the surveillance system. Both requirements are permanent.

The inspection forms part of the RIEW's ongoing oversight of the plant. Since the start of 2025, the inspectorate has carried out 10 inspections of Sofia's municipal waste treatment facilities and issued 12 notices of administrative violations.

On Thursday, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said that a solution should be found within a week for servicing the separate waste collection containers in 14 Sofia boroughs following last Wednesday's fire at Ecobulpak's facility.