site.btaAir Quality Measurement Stations in Mladost and Pavlovo to Be Relocated

The stations of the Ministry of Environment and Water for measuring the quality of ambient air in the neighbourhoods of Mladost and Pavlovo in Sofia will be relocated, the procedure has already been activated. This was announced by the Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov on Wednesday during the 38th General Assembly of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB).

The stations will be moved in connection with accusations by NGOs that they do not measure properly. All these stations are linked to the European ambient air monitoring system. Minister Genov also said that because of two municipalities, Bulgaria could again be involved in infringement proceedings by the European Commission.

The Minister also announced that the control functions of the Ministry of Environment and Water will be increased with regard to unregulated landfills. "Bulgaria is becoming an unregulated landfill," Genov said. He suggested to continue communication with municipalities in order to find the right solutions, because, in his words, it is an open secret that waste disposal organizations are dissatisfied with municipalities, and municipalities in turn are even more dissatisfied with the organizations in question. According to the Minister, municipalities underestimate the budgets for the eradication of unregulated landfills on their territory.

Minister Genov said that Bulgaria should introduce the deposit system in waste management. “We should adopt a law on the deposit system, which will be extremely useful for municipalities. The consumer should be motivated enough to return a plastic bottle to the relevant points and cash in the money he has given for this. We will propose that the deposit fee not be subject to VAT, which will calm inflationary processes by raising the prices of these products. This will be a good option to reduce waste of glass, aluminium cans, and plastic,” Genov said.