site.btaProsecutor General Orders Checks of Waste Holders' Compliance with Laws on Waste Management, Environmental Protection

January 6 (BTA) - Bulgaria's Prosecutor General Ivan
Geshev Monday ordered the Interior Minister and the Chairperson
of the State Agency for National Security to conduct joint
checks of local waste holders' compliance with the Waste
Management Act and the Environmental Protection Act, the
prosecution service said in a press release.

All waste holders within the territory of Bulgaria are to be
identified and, to this end, they will be required to produce an
 authorization, an integrated permit or a registration document
for the relevant waste management activity and site. The persons
 will be checked for compliance with their obligations to
observe waste collection, transport and treatment provisions,
maintain waste treatment facilities in normal operation, prevent
 waste mixing, organize the safe storage of untreatable waste,
organize the safe management of hazardous waste, keep waste
records, afford control authorities access to waste management
facilities and documents, arrange briefing and training of
hazardous waste-handling staff, take the action necessary to
contain contamination after closure of waste treatment
facilities and activities, provide financing for monitoring,
facility closure and post-operation monitoring and control, and
notify control authorities of forthcoming alterations that may
change the quantity or type of the waste generated and its
hazardous properties.

Information will be sought on checks of the waste holders
conducted by the competent regional inspectorates of environment
 and water and municipality mayors and on the measures taken in
case any violations had been detected.

The development comes after Italian Carabinieri intercepted an
815-tonne undocumented waste shipment near Milan on December 11.
 The waste, loaded into 17 railcars, was presumably destined for
 unlawful destruction or landfilling in Bulgaria.

Interviewed on National Television on Monday morning,
Environment and Water Minister Neno Dimov was adamant that the
waste originating from Italy, which has been detected on sites
near Pleven (North Central Bulgaria) and in Vratsa (Northwestern
 Bulgaria), has nothing to do with the waste impounded in Italy.
 Dimov specified that the Pleven site is licensed to separate
and recover waste but not to incinerate it, while the Vratsa
site is not licensed.

The site in Pleven stores 9,000 tonnes of baled plastic, metal
and paper waste imported from Italy. The site in Vratsa holds
over 50 tonnes of spent toner cartridges which have been
arriving from Italy since November. RI/LG