Sofia Municipality Fines the Two Waste Collection Companies That Threatened to Stop Work

The Sofia Municipality has imposed financial penalties on two waste collection companies—“Zauba” and “Green Partners”—for disclosing contract-related information. The fines, which will be deducted from the amounts the Municipality owes for their services, amount to 44,888.21 BGN for Zauba and 118,764.04 BGN for Green Partners.

Last week, the two companies publicly announced that they would stop collecting the waste of 8 districts in Sofia.

According to Mayor Vasil Terziev, this public disclosure violated the terms of their contracts. In a post on Facebook, he emphasised:

"They did this in breach of their contracts by disclosing information without having the right to do so. They know full well that they are breaking the terms of their contracts, but they are clearly not yet used to the fact that we will impose uncompromising sanctions for violations. It is time for all contractors under contracts with Sofia Municipality to understand that things are different now, and so is the management," Mayor Terziev said.

Mayor Terziev also noted that stricter requirements and higher fines have been incorporated into new waste management contracts, aimed at ensuring better service quality and responsible partnerships.

"We will not give up working for this, and I call again on the Minister of Finance to fulfill her duties and unblock the process of announcing the new contracts by setting in motion the documents that are waiting for an opinion from her subordinate Public Procurement Agency on the mandatory control it is carrying out. I gave a deadline of 3 days - 2 have passed," Terziev wrote.