site.btaMunicipalities to Set Up Sites for Household Construction Waste under Amendments Passed at First Reading

On Thursday, Parliament approved at first reading amendments to the Waste Management Act tabled by the Council of Ministers. A total of 115 MPs voted in favour, 95 against, and nine abstained.

The amendments envisage expanding the responsibilities of local authorities related to the management of construction waste generated by households by introducing a requirement for municipalities to designate at least one site for the free-of-charge disposal of this type of waste. Another set of provisions aims to eliminate discrepancies in the transposition of a European waste directive into Bulgarian legislation and to avoid sanctions. The changes also provide for stricter control over organizations carrying out waste-related activities and waste recovery, as well as higher sanctions and fines for illegal activities.

Outgoing Environment and Water Minister Manol Genov said that in recent years illegal dumping has become a serious national problem. “The proposal is the result of the need to modernize the national regulatory framework, introduce the requirements of European legislation and increase the effectiveness of waste management in the country,” he said, commenting on the objectives of the bill. “Key national policies are being implemented – the circular economy strategy, the governance programme for the 2025–2029 period, and the plan to reduce the administrative burden,” Genov added. According to him, the need to submit paper documents will be eliminated, while control and data exchange will be improved. Genov also said that some of the provisions concern the separate collection of textile waste, as well as additional oversight of single-use plastic products. With regard to the establishment of sites in every municipality, he said that funding could be provided from contributions already accumulated under the law.

MPs from Vazrazhdane, Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), and Velichie objected to the proposed amendments to the Waste Management Act, explaining that their parliamentary groups would not support the bill. Their main concern is that the bill is being “fast-tracked” through a parliament that will not remain in office for much longer. MPs from GERB-UDF reminded CC-DB of the waste collection problem in Sofia. The debate on the bill lasted more than two hours.