site.btaBTA, Bulgarian Association of Recycling Sign Partnership Agreement

The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and the Bulgarian Association of Recycling (BAR) signed a partnership agreement at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia. The agreement was signed by BTA Director General Kiril Valchev and BAR Board of Directors Chairman Zdravko Bikov. 

Valchev noted that with this agreement, BTA is expanding its network of partners to include another industry organization - the Bulgarian Association of Recycling, which brings together some of the largest companies in this sector. He explained that BTA’s goal is to represent various sectors of the Bulgarian economy with systematic information and copyright-cleared materials.

The signing took place during the month traditionally celebrated worldwide as Environment Month, after technical reasons delayed the initial plan to hold it on World Environment Day, June 5, Valchev noted.

He presented BAR with news items from the BTA archives over the years related to the Association. The oldest is from the  2nd BAR National Conference, held in October 1999 at the Albena resort. A review of BTA publications about the Association shows that there have not been that many so far - ranging from one to three per year, said Valchev, adding that there will now be much more systematic coverage in BTA, just as there is for more than 40 industry organizations and about 10 bilateral chambers of commerce and industry.

Bikov noted that the Association’s goal is to promote the circular economy, decarbonization, and all efforts toward a greener and more efficient economy in Bulgaria. He expressed the hope that BTA’s coverage of BAR’s activities will increase significantly - from one article per year to many more - and that these activities will provide ample opportunities for quality reporting. 

Noting BAR’s membership in the international organization in this field, Valchev pointed out that BTA will also report on the experiences of other countries through its publications, including via its network of correspondents in the Balkans, so as to show where Bulgaria stands within the EU, in Southeast Europe, and globally on this issue.

He also noted that one of the reasons for partnering with BAR, in addition to the Agency’s systematic expansion of partners across various industries, is an initiative by BTA employees to donate plastic bottles to support various causes. "So, at BTA you are knocking on an open door in your desire to promote opportunities for the circular economy and recycling," Valchev noted.

BAR Executive Director Anna Blagoeva expressed her conviction that the partnership with BTA will help raise the profile of recycling and separate waste collection, as well as help make Bulgaria cleaner. "My appeal to all citizens and businesses is that we must not forget that what is trash to one person is a valuable resource to another," said Blagoeva. She urged us to be responsible, because we have only one planet, we live on it, and our future generations will live here after us.