Deputy Minister Reneta Koleva participated in the award ceremony for the winners of the Fifth Edition of the "EcoMunicipality" Competition

The Ministry of Environment and Water supports municipalities in implementing the “pay-as-you-throw” principle. This was made clear by the words of the Deputy Minister of Environment and Water Reneta Koleva, who today welcomed the participants at the award ceremony of the “EcoMunicipality – Sustainable City and Society” competition. The initiative of the Embassy of France in Bulgaria and the French Institute is being held for the fifth time and aims to highlight good practices at the local level for sustainable urban development.

Deputy Minister Reneta Koleva participated in the award ceremony for “EcoMunicipality 2024” in the “Waste and Recycling” category. The award ceremony was attended by Joel Meyer, Ambassador of France to Bulgaria, Violeta Koritarova, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, as well as Silvia Georgieva, Director of the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria.

“The Ministry of Environment and Water continues its active work in supporting and encouraging municipalities to implement policies and implement measures to achieve sustainable development. The implementation of the ‘pay-as-you-throw’ principle for the municipal waste fee will stimulate waste reduction and optimize the costs of municipalities,” said Reneta Koleva. To help municipalities, the Ministry of Environment and Water has provided support to the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria for the implementation of the project “Models for optimizing the municipal waste management process in Bulgaria”, financed with funds from the Environment Program 2021-2027. “The goal is to provide methodological support to municipalities in switching to the method for determining the amount of the municipal waste fee according to the ‘pay-as-you-throw’ principle,” explained Deputy Minister Koleva.

Work continues on improving the waste treatment infrastructure. In the 2014-2020 programming period of Operational Program Environment, 16 installations for pre-treatment of mixed municipal waste, 38 installations for composting green/biodegradable waste and 3 installations for anaerobic digestion of biodegradable waste have been built. Fifty-four demonstration projects have also been implemented to promote circular economy practices and raise public awareness about waste management.

The path to the introduction of the circular economy passes through environmentally friendly management, treatment and recycling of waste. The priority of the Ministry is the introduction and effective implementation of the waste management hierarchy in all processes and at all levels, as well as the transformation of the economy and the model of behavior towards zero pollution.

In the category “Waste and Recycling”, Deputy Minister Reneta Koleva presented an award to the municipality of Svilengrad, which won among municipalities with a population of under 40,000 inhabitants. Svilengrad stands out with innovative approaches, such as containers with chips for measuring the amount of waste, an online platform with information about waste and a reuse center, which contribute to the reduction and sustainable management of waste. She expressed confidence that the good practices and innovative ideas that were recognized today will encourage other municipalities in the country to follow the example of the winners in the competition in the search and implementation of bolder solutions to address the challenges.

In the Waste and Recycling category, Gabrovo is the winner among municipalities with a population of over 40 000 for innovative practices, such as shared (neighborhood) composting, home composters in villages and a mobile point that collects a wide range of more specific household waste on a schedule. Burgas Municipality received a special recognition for the introduction of plastic-free zones, waste prevention requirements in public procurement, and a digital information platform. Smyadovo Municipality received special recognition for the successful use of a mobile application and local Viber groups to engage residents in separate waste collection.

In the Energy and Emissions category, Strelcha Municipality was recognized for using multiple funding programs and participating in international projects, including for the innovative use of geothermal energy for heating and cooling the school in the city. In the Sustainable Mobility category, Sliven is the winner for its comprehensive strategy and realistic vision for development.

In conclusion, Deputy Minister Koleva thanked all municipalities for the consistent and targeted efforts they make to create more beautiful and cleaner environment to live and called for joint efforts to create a better place to live for us and our children.