site.btaOld Municipal Landfills Reclamation Launched

Old Municipal Landfills Reclamation Launched

Sofia, August 22 (BTA) - The reclamation of old municipal landfills, subject to an infringement procedure by the European Commission, is under way. The funds will be extended by the Ministry of Environment and Water through the Enterprise for Management of Environment Protection Activities, the ministry said Monday.

The Commission sued Bulgaria because of an infringement of the Landfill Directive. In December 2015 the procedure was put on hold because the Commission took into consideration Bulgaria's substantial progress as 54 landfills were closed last year. Another 38 landfills were reclaimed on funds under Operational Programme Environment 2007-2013 and the construction of 18 modern waste management systems serving 70 municipalities with over 3.5 million residents has been completed.

The reclamation of old municipal landfills is prioritized by the Enterprise for Management of Environmental Protection Activities.

The construction works will be under way for the next four or five years, said Enterprise Director Reneta Koleva. The State-owned Enterprise will cover the difference between the cost of each project and the collateral required under Article 60 of the Waste Management Act. To date, 23 project proposals have been submitted worth a total of 39 million leva.

The old landfills will be closed and reclaimed, which will guarantee a better environment and healthy life to the people living nearby, Koleva explained.

In addition, the first cells of regional landfills in Pazardzhik and Zlatitsa (South Central Bulgaria) are already being built on funds provided by the Enterprise for Management of Environmental Protection Activities. The Enterprise will co-finance the development of the landfill in Razlog (Southwestern Bulgaria) which will serve four municipalities. Construction was launched during the previous programming period of Operation Programme Environment but was not completed on time because of organizational problems. Now the project will be saved.