We are talking again about the unregulated dumping of waste generated by construction in Sofia. About 200 unregulated dumps have been identified, filmed and mapped, with construction waste being dumped near rivers, in private and municipal properties, forests and agricultural lands. This was announced to Lili Marinkova in the studio „FACTI“ and the show „Conversation“ Sofia Zheleva from the „Anti-Corruption Fund“.
„Years ago, we published an investigative material in which we simply came out and presented our conclusions on the topic. It is very important for someone from the inside, with their name and face, to stand up and tell and show the problem. This is a resource that Mr. Nikolay Nedelkov, as the head of the Sofia Inspectorate, had“, commented Zheleva.
According to her, the Sofia Inspectorate is the structure in the municipality that has the task of identifying and stopping this type of abuse. According to her, however, the results in this direction are not sufficient. “We meant that the will and action come from the highest level – from the head of the inspectorate. Further down in the hierarchy, the individuals calmed the situation and it can be said that to date, we largely do not see any change or success in the fight against this type of abuse that we observed“, she pointed out.
Zheleva recalled that this is a problem identified and documented by the Sofia Inspectorate itself. “It was a matter of investigating violations established by the Sofia Municipality Inspectorate itself. Within the scope of the powers of the Sofia Inspectorate, this problem related to unregulated landfills and unregulated disposal of waste generated by construction in Sofia was monitored“, she explained.
According to her, the scale is serious, as about 200 places where construction waste had accumulated were identified. “Construction waste – about 200 landfills were photographed, mapped and shown by the inspectorate. It was a matter of dumping this type of waste near rivers, in private and municipal properties, forests, agricultural lands. Such dumping can have serious consequences for the environment. We can imagine what this means – what it means, for example, to pollute a river. The consequences can be very serious“, she added.
Zheleva also pointed out that after the publication of the material, people who had additional information on the case contacted them. “People who felt affected and had information contacted us. Some of them agreed to talk. We are talking about thousands of tons of waste statistically“, she said.
According to her, the problem is also related to the economic interest of companies that seek to reduce their transportation costs. “Due to the large-scale construction in Sofia, there are many companies that carry out such activities. The only thing that can damage the whole scheme is the control over construction waste. Due to the large territory of the Sofia Municipality, there may be companies that choose disposal sites much closer to their sites, because this way they reduce their transportation costs. Instead of following the regulations and paying the necessary fees, some violators are looking for a cheaper option through illegal disposal. And when they do not pay these fees and the costs associated with transport and processing, this naturally creates an economic incentive to look for other ways. That is why control is so important“, pointed out Sofia Zheleva.
See more of the conversation in the VIDEO.