site.btaEnvironment Minister: Bulgaria Has Problem with Waste, Unregulated Landfills but Is Getting Cleaner

Bulgaria has a problem with uncollected waste and unregulated landfills, but in general country is getting cleaner, said Minister of Environment and Water Julian Popov on bTV.

Popov explained that this country is the only one in the European Union where the garbage fee is determined on the basis of a tax assessment of the property, and not on the "polluter pays" principle. The Minister also said that the new principle will be introduced in several municipalities on a pilot basis in 2024, and the hope is that within two or three years it will be implemented at the state level as well. There are different options for reporting garbage under the new system, both through bags and through containers, Popov added.

He added that waste is a very valuable resource and its use is a matter of culture, organization and politics. "It's a question of a market in which we create demand," the Minister stressed.

Popov also said that when pollution is discovered, there should be adequate fines - the more serious the damage, the bigger the fine.

On the occasion of the flood in Tsarevo, Popov explained that Bulgaria could handle the recovery from the natural disaster on its own, without having to seek help from Europe. He reiterated that, in general, the water along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast is clean.