In the town of. The last regular meeting of the Business Council in the Waste Management Sector was held in Kardzhali

On 12.04.2023 at 16:00 in the town of Kardzhali was held the last regular meeting of the Business Council in the sector of Waste Management in the border regions of Blagoevgrad, Haskovo, Kardzhali and Smolyan, the activity is implemented under the project "Business Council - BC 6275" funded by the INTERREG V/A GREECE-BULGARIA 2014-2020, Subsidy contract № B6.3a.18/13.04.2021.

The meeting was attended by six representatives from the waste management sector from the border regions of Haskovo, Kardzhali, Blagoevgrad and Smolyan. The hall of the association "Europe in Dialogue", Sofia, was engaged. The meeting was attended by the participants from Kardzhali. It was technically equipped with: multimedia, laptop, printer, microphone(s) and sound system, as well as information boards, banner and presentation materials, according to the requirements of the Communication and Publicity Manual of the Interreg V/A Greece-Bulgaria 2014-2020 Programme. In addition, disinfectants as well as water, coffee, tea were provided to secure the coffee break of the event.

The moderator of the event welcomed all the attendees, gave a few minutes for the introduction of the new members, and then drew attention to the Rules of Procedure of the Business Council.

Those present at the meeting complained to the project management team about the non-implementation of the landfill project for domestic waste in the territory of the region. Kardzhali. Unfortunately, the project fell through years ago and the results that are now available are tons of unregulated waste.

Those present at the meeting said that they have repeatedly reported the problem, but the results are zero. The concern of the people living in the area stems from the fact that there are many agricultural lands in the area of the unregulated dump. The Varbitsa River passes nearby, and along with the moisture, everything seeps into the soil and thus into the river.

In connection with the above, the council members expressed their fears that the bio-balance of the area is thus being threatened, that the soil and water are contaminated, and consequently the agricultural produce grown in the area is hazardous to human health.

Those present sought the assistance of the project management team to organize a round table to discuss options for addressing the problem and reducing the harmful impact that the unregulated landfill is having on the surrounding nature.