site.btaSofia Municipality to Test Regular Waste Collection Schedule in Lyulin and Krasno Selo Boroughs

Sofia Municipality will conduct a trial run of a scheduled service for waste collection in Sofia’s Lyulin and Krasno Selo boroughs on October 18 and 19, the Municipality said on Friday.

Until now, waste removal in the two boroughs has been done under an emergency logistics plan, with teams from the Sofia Inspectorate and the Municipal Waste Treatment Enterprise responding primarily at critical points.

This weekend’s test will simulate a full return to a scheduled service, meaning regular waste collection along predetermined routes and frequencies, the Municipality explained. The trial aims to lift the emergency arrangements currently in place for the two boroughs. The test will be conducted using municipal resources, with temporary assistance from neighbouring municipalities and civic organizations.

Sofia Deputy Mayor for Ecology Nadezhda Bobcheva said that, thanks to the recent mobilization and support from neighbouring municipalities and volunteers, the Municipality is now testing a return to normal waste collection operations.

Sofia's Lyulin and Krasno Selo boroughs have been experiencing a waste collection crisis since October 5. It flared up after the Sofia City Hall refused to sign new waste collection contracts, arguing that the only remaining bidder demanded prices more than three times the market rate. Mayor Vassil Terziev has said Sofia Municipality would not pay a protection racket fee and would not yield to “mafia practices”.