An innovative idea in the fight against illegal landfills was introduced by the mayor of the Plovdiv village of Kalekovets, Georgi Valkov. A few months ago, a barrier was installed there, which limits the unregulated disposal of waste. Violators are also monitored with cameras.
The barrier was installed this summer at the entrance to the garden waste site near the Plovdiv village of Kalekovets. The mayor introduced limited access to the landfill because of the increased number of violators. People came from other settlements, even from Plovdiv, to dispose of various household waste.
Georgi Valkov – mayor of the village of Kalekovets: "They were throwing away absolutely everything – plastic, construction, boxes, green mass... it was an ugly job. Basically, the site is only for vegetable waste of residents of the village."
The barrier is raised automatically, and a camera at the entrance records what waste is dumped at the site.
Georgi Valkov - mayor of the village of Kalekovets: "The barrier itself has sensors, which when approached by a car or a person, it moves and after a minute or two the barrier falls and so does the exit from the landfill."
The residents of Kalekovets approve of the idea of this type of fight against illegal landfills. Iliya Dudinski has been hauling cleaned vegetation from his yard to the site several times.
Iliya Dudinski – resident of the village of Kalekovets: "This is a very big plus for our village. The landfill was indiscriminate. It is now much more compact, much better made, especially with the barrier. The camera monitors what waste is being dumped."
So far, two violators from the village have been fined. And, to stop the dumping of waste in the fields, the mayor of Kalekovets will install cameras outside the village as well.