After a Month and a Half - Rubbish Crisis in Two Sofia Districts Now Under Control, Says City Council Deputy Chair

The rubbish collection crisis in two Sofia district, which went on for nearly six weeks is now under control, according to Bonka Vasileva, Deputy Chair of the Sofia Municipal Council and councillor from the “We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria” coalition, speaking on the Bulgarian National Television programme 'The Day Begins'.

• The choice of a Turkish company caused tension in the City Council

“In both Lyulin and Krasno Selo we can no longer speak of a crisis. As for the other zones where contracts are expiring, public procurement procedures and direct negotiations are being prepared within the fastest timeframe referred to in the law,” Vasileva said.

She said there were grounds to suspect a cartel, noting that Bulgarian companies had submitted bids significantly above the municipality’s estimated price.

Vasileva added that the main waste-management tender had been deliberately delayed by four months, describing the move as a form of sabotage.

Her remarks came after accusations from Ivan Takov of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, who claimed Mayor Vasil Terziev had sidelined the Municipal Council, handled contracts and procurement alone, and ignored warnings from councillors. Vasileva rejected the criticism:

“That is not true. Mr Takov is speculating. Municipal councillors have no place on tender evaluation committees — that would be a serious breach. Over the years it has been normalised so that the opposition acts as a rubber stamp. The administration is responsible for public procurements, and we have consulted the relevant state institutions on whether councillors should be present, if that is what Mr Takov is referring to.”