I have committed that we will find a solution for the service of the yellow containers after the fire at the Ecobulpack base. We managed to agree on an approach that not only solves the crisis now, but also provides more municipal capacity - for sustainability in the future.
This was written on "Facebook" by Mayor Vasil Terziev.
Since July 10, the service of the yellow containers in the affected 14 districts has been restored. Currently, the teams are catching up on the missed courses and the system is gradually returning to its normal rhythm. In some places, work is already underway according to the usual schedules, while in others, cleaning of the accumulated quantities continues. The service of the green containers - those for glass - has not stopped.
Thank you to all the people of Sofia who showed patience, discipline and understanding in these difficult days. Your support has really helped.
Together with Ecobulpack, we have managed to find an approach that not only provides an immediate solution in the current crisis, but will also increase the municipal recycling capacity in the future.
We will use the existing municipal infrastructure for sorting recyclable waste in Suhodol to provide new capacity for separate collection.
Ecobulpack/Ecobulsort will invest its own funds in the completion and equipment of the installation for pre-treatment of separately collected waste, without burdening the budget of the Sofia Municipality.
After the contract is completed, the facilities will remain the property of the municipality and will increase Sofia's capacity to respond to such emergencies.
While the installation is being equipped, separately collected packaging waste will be transported for sorting to Unitred's bases in Bozhurishte and Novi Iskar. This is what allowed the yellow container service to be restored on July 10.
Today we are submitting a report to the Sofia Municipal Council to initiate the administrative procedure. We expect support from the councilors at the meeting on July 23.
I also want to emphasize something very important.
No waste will be landfilled in Suhodol. The landfill is in the final phase of reclamation. Only the existing infrastructure will be used to build a plant for sorting separately collected waste. All waste that cannot be recycled will continue to be transported to the municipal plant and the operating landfill in Sadinata, as before.
This crisis has shown how easily an incident can affect a system that serves a large part of Sofia. But it also showed something else - when institutions and partners work quickly and in a coordinated manner, solutions can be found.
We continue to monitor the situation daily until service is fully normalized in all affected areas.
Once again, thank you for your patience and understanding.