When our political opponents talk about garbage collection in "Lyulin" and "Krasno Selo" as a crisis, they conveniently fail to note the state in which we found the system in Sofia. We found a city that was on the verge of an ecological crisis - the landfill could be filled in just a few months. The plant that was supposed to recycle was almost not working, millions were being drained, and a huge part of the garbage was simply being buried in the ground.
This was a real threat of a real crisis. We took responsibility to change the system, starting from its end, which remains invisible to people.
Therefore, for me, the topic of waste management is not just administrative – it is personal and is already linked to success, which I believe is sustainable.
It is also a question of morality – of what we leave behind and how we view our common effort as citizens.
Today we can say that we have mastered a crisis that seemed impossible.
This is what Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev posted on his Facebook page regarding the problems with garbage in different areas of the city. Here are more of Terziev's words:
The Sofia Waste Treatment Plant – the plant, which for many years was a symbol of inefficiency – is now the backbone of the entire system.
The plant has produced over 100,000 tons of RDF fuel in 2025, revenues from recyclable materials exceeded 1.7 million leva, and landfilled waste has decreased many times and continues to decrease.
This means less garbage underground, a cleaner environment and more money returned to the Sofia budget.
But in order to move forward, we need to strengthen what is already proven to work.
This week we submitted a report to increase the capacity of the SPTO - so that we can react faster, more effectively and independently of private interests. We hope for the same support that the Sofia Municipal Council has already given to “Sofekostroy“.
We believe that now everyone will stand behind the enterprise that has proven itself in the most difficult moments – behind SPTO, the plant that carried the crisis in "Lyulin" and "Krasno Selo" on its back and did not stop for a day.
Yes, we still have inconveniences and difficulties. But we now also have a system that works. And people who believe that change is not a slogan, but daily work.
Our goal is simple – Sofia should have a stable, transparent and sustainable waste management model that cannot be blackmailed, manipulated or stopped by external interests.
I will never tire of repeating:
- Separate collection should become our best friend.
- Everything that goes into the colored containers does not come out of our pocket.