Politimi Paunova, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Association of Metallurgical Industry: The establishment of municipal sites for scrap creates conditions for corruption

- Mrs. Paunova, Parliament adopted the amendments to the Waste Management Act under which municipalities are obliged, within two years, to establish sites for separate waste collection free of charge. Do you think that the local authorities will cope with these responsibilities?
- We have discussed this issue and the only success which we have achieved has been a two-year grace period. The existing sites that are in line with other, already introduced requirements, will be allowed to operate in this period. They will be reduced in number but, however, the law is in a more acceptable version now. My personal opinion is that the creation of sites for scrap collection by municipalities is a ridiculous decision, which will cover the country with all possible metal and non-metal waste. In addition to this, we will hand it over for no money. Currently, many people who have no other livelihood manage to gain some money every day by delivering scrap.

- What will the impact of the separation of the sites for waste collection and the points of waste creating be?
- The separation of the waste collection sites from the points of waste creating is not an effective option and will not address the problem. I am afraid that we will understand only that things cannot be tackled in this way and further changes will be imperative. The only consolation of businesses is that, at least, at the beginning, they will not face serious problems and will continue their work. The practice will show that municipalities will not be able to cope with this issue. They have never collected their own waste so far. We are talking about carbon dioxide and we will destroy the industry. What will happen to household waste when it decomposes? The smell is unbearable and all these gases are adversely affecting the environment.

- What will happen to the businesses within the grace period of two years, when municipalities are expected to build the new waste collecting sites?
- In this time period, only firms that have appropriate licenses will continue operating.

- What will happen to the companies that buy metal scrap, given that municipalities will take their business away?
- Local governments have to organise the same activity. The State appears as a commercial company and has to buy out the scrap as well. However, these sites should be able to process this waste. It makes no sense for companies to buy it from the municipalities because this is a transfer of raw material from one site to another. Businesses can start parallel activities and process the scrap that can be transmitted to the metallurgical plants. We will deliver our waste for free but companies will submit it for money. This is a quite unjustified withdrawal of existing financial resources. This will not lead to anything positive. Initially, it was intended or sites to be closed down immediately and for municipalities to take over their functions. Municipalities, in turn, are allowed to reassign this activity. Some of them will choose subcontractors, but this creates another opportunity for corruption. Many sites were closed down after the first changes enforced this year.

- To what extent will the changes in the Waste Management Act create conditions for corruption?
- Yes, there are such opportunities because municipalities will be allowed to subcontract this activity. How will they choose the firms? I can guess what will happen - local firms, staying close to the executive power, will be granted opportunities to carry out these activities. Profits will be divided. This is pure corruption. Two years is quite a long period. When it becomes clear that the municipalities are not able to cope, new changes will be introduced. We are used to making rapid changes.
The sites must be easily accessible, the waste should be collected quickly in order to be processed and utilised. The more problems are created, the more we are away from our targets. This is not foreseen in the law, it aims at avoiding thefts. But this cannot be achieved by a ban. There are few people who make their living by handing over scarp at waste collecting sites, outside the thefts, of course. I think that the separate collection of waste is not successful. In addition to this, the use of the waste collected in this way is not done in line with the specified procedures. This is an example of a failed public-private partnership that has not been implemented properly and we have not yet proven that  we are able to work on such a scheme. At the same time, we are introducing measures that do not exist in Europe. I hope that we will become smarter during this grace period of two years and we will change our methods of work.

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