Waste containers made from biodegradable plastic will be produced using a 3D printer in Smolyan as part of a demonstration month on “New Methods and New Resources for Sustainable Living.” Meanwhile, the local administration continues to simulate waste separation, with the mayor concealing the lack of a real policy in this area.
This initiative is part of a project aimed at “reducing the amount of landfilled waste” and “increasing the recycling capacity in Smolyan Municipality,” funded by the Operational Program “Environment 2014 – 2020” with nearly 400,000 BGN. This is outlined in a public procurement announcement by the Municipality of Smolyan for selecting a contractor for consultancy services worth 220,000 BGN. The selected consultant is tasked with developing a “comprehensive program” to “establish a behavior model” for “preventing waste generation.” By printing containers, the consultant will demonstrate “the most modern and environmentally-friendly approach to producing products from biodegradable material.” This, according to the public procurement sponsor, Mayor Nikolay Melemov of Smolyan Municipality, will lead to “preventing waste generation.”
As part of this project, at least 10 containers will be printed, with a minimum of one for each of the 10 schools in the municipality that are the target group for the project. In the competition documentation, the mayor clarifies that the 3D printer and the actual printing of the containers will be the subject of another public procurement.
An absurd idea with pointless absorption of EU funds, or…?
The absurdities surrounding the project, which, according to the Municipality of Smolyan, aims to “reduce landfilled waste,” do not end with the printing of biodegradable containers in front of primary, basic, and secondary school students from the 10 municipal schools. The consultant is also tasked with creating a “scenario” for conducting 20 demonstration days on composting, two days each in the 10 schools. Biodegradable waste will be collected in demonstration composters under the “educational supervision” of an “eco-expert.” These days will also have a competitive aspect for the schools, with participation being the criterion for “massiveness.” Furthermore, the project leader is expected to give three interviews—one in a national print publication—and to produce a presentation film and a video clip showcasing “the amount of prevented biodegradable waste from disposal at the landfill” (the quote is exact), along with other paid media appearances. According to the project sponsor, the goal is for the project to be reproduced at various levels, including nationally, and to “raise public awareness of adhering to the highest levels of waste management hierarchy.”
Propaganda to conceal corruption
“Public awareness” and “highly responsible behavior.” These key phrases in the public procurement documents answer the question of whether the mayor of Smolyan has any other goal beyond that favored by his party, GERB—”absorbing EU funds.” Is the issue of the vast amount of landfilled waste in Smolyan municipality “public awareness”? (Twice as high per capita as in neighboring municipalities and comparable to Sofia in this regard, despite lower economic activity and income levels.)
The residents of Smolyan do not separate their waste because they lack education, culture, and awareness, but because there is no separate waste collection. “Ecopak” and “Bulekopak” ceased their operations one after the other in Smolyan due to a lack of cooperation from the Municipality of Smolyan. Mayor Nikolay Melemov has taken a series of actions that encouraged the creation of a monopoly on waste-related activities by three interconnected companies—“Titan Cleaner,” “Global Cleaner” LLC, and “Eco Titan Group” AD—all represented by the same individual, Velichko Minev.
Before Nikolay Melemov became mayor, the Municipality of Smolyan had a contract with “Ecopak.” In 2006 and 2007, 285 containers for separate collection of packaging waste were installed. After “Ecopak” ceased operations in Smolyan, “Bulekopak” installed 196 containers for separate waste collection at 98 sites in 2014. A five-year program for effective actions regarding separate collection and treatment of waste was also signed between the Municipality of Smolyan and “Bulekopak.”
The Municipality of Smolyan continues to patronize the business of “Titan Cleaner,” as the program for the separate collection of packaging waste has failed, leading “Bulekopak” to remove its containers. The mayor of Smolyan announced a new public procurement for waste collection, which also includes the separate collection of waste. Only one candidate applied for the tender—”Global Cleaner.” On January 4, 2021, a new five-year contract was signed, under which “Global Cleaner” takes on not only waste collection and street cleaning but also the separate collection of packaging waste and household biodegradable waste.
The company placed two additional metal “Beaver” containers at the waste collection sites, labeling them with stickers stating “plastic” and “glass” to simulate separate waste collection. Meanwhile, the mayor continues to conceal the lack of a real policy for separate waste collection in the Municipality of Smolyan by shifting responsibility onto “public awareness.”
