We fined the two garbage collection companies today - "Zauba" and "Green Partners" - for disclosing information under their contracts with Sofia Municipality. The fines will be deducted from the amounts that Sofia Municipality pays the companies for their services and are in the amount of 44,888.21 leva for "Zauba" and 118,764.04 leva for "Green Partners". This was announced by the Mayor of Sofia, Vasil Terziev, and added:
Last week, the two companies publicly announced that they would stop collecting waste in 8 districts of Sofia. They did this by violating their contracts by disclosing information without having the right to do so.
They know full well that they are violating the terms of their contracts, but they are clearly not yet used to the fact that we will impose uncompromising sanctions for violations. It is time for all contractors under contracts with the Sofia Municipality to understand that things are different now, as is the government. Here are more numbers:
From the beginning of 2022 to October 2023 (for 22 months under the previous government), “Zauba” and “Green Partners” were fined 140,189 leva.
Since November 2023 by the end of April 2025, for 18 months and after the reforms we made, the fines of the two companies are 957,035.40 leva or 10 times more.
Against this background, the two seemingly independent companies with identical letters were already demanding a 50% indexation - meaning an increase in the prices under their contracts - with threats that if their demands were not met, they would stop the service “from Monday“. No increase took place.
“Zauba” and "Green Partners" are the biggest violators, but they are no exception:
In 2023, the old management imposed sanctions totaling 685,303 leva. to all waste collection companies
In 2024, we imposed three and a half times more sanctions, totaling 2,343,954 leva.
Because the rules apply to everyone.
The numbers speak for themselves, but I have to say something else. We will not allow our hands to be twisted, blackmailed and pressured. We work on principle and will continue to enforce the rules boldly and without compromise. This is the fundamental difference between the new and old management and a prerequisite for the difference and result of this approach to begin to be felt.
And to make this happen even faster, we have set even stricter requirements and higher fines in the new waste collection contracts – because Sofia deserves quality services and conscientious partners.
We will not give up working for this and once again I call on the Minister of Finance to fulfill his obligations and unblock the process of announcing new orders by moving the documents that are awaiting an opinion from the Public Procurement Agency subordinate to him on the mandatory control that he carries out. I gave a 3-day deadline – 2 have expired.