site.btaOver 30 Landfills Reclaimed in Bulgaria

More than 30 landfills in the country have been reclaimed, said Kliment Radulov, Chief Expert at the Enterprise for the Management of Environmental Protection Activities (EMEPA) on Monday during a presentation of the activities of the project " Reclamation of landfills subject to infringement of EU law in case C-145/14". The activities included technical reclamation of 32 landfills located on the territory of 31 municipalities in the country. The beneficiary of the project was EMPEA, and its total value was BGN 43,706,945. The financing of the project was under the Environment 2014-2020 Operational Programme.

“The project was related to an infringement procedure, but now the European Commission is checking its reported implementation and we expect to close the procedure in 2024”, said Svetla Kircheva, project manager.

The closure and reclamation of the landfills has resulted in the minimizing of environmental pollution, stopping landfill dust emissions, preventing potential contamination of water sources, capturing and landfill gas safely, improving the living conditions of the population, etc., Radulov also said. The purpose of the closure and reclamation of landfills is to encapsulate them by isolating them from the surrounding terrain by means of an upper watertight screen and with protective drainage ditches to drain stormwater away from the landfill bodies and surrounding terrain, as well as prevent surface water from entering, he also pointed out.

Deputy Minister of Environment and Water Reneta Koleva said that the landfills for which Bulgaria was the subject of infringement proceedings, have been reclaimed until the last landfill. Koleva expressed hope that the procedure will be closed. “If we had not met the deadlines, a very serious sanction would have been imposed on Bulgaria,” she added.