Air pollution in Sofia is several times above the norm as a consequence mostly of the traffic as well as on account of heating on solid fuel, while, at the same time, separated waste collection, if available, is owed mostly to specialised tramps but not to Sofia Municipality. “It is obvious that the two basic priorities of the new deputy mayor of Sofia for the environment – air quality and waste incineration – contradict each other and complemented by the lack of progress in the last ten years testify to the inadequacy of the policies of Sofia Municipality in this field,” Danita Zarichinova from Environmental Association Za Zemyata says.
Besides the emissions from the facility for waste incineration at TPP Sofia, the project will create additional traffic of trucks for the transport of RDF fuels from the waste plant in “Sadinata” area, as well the transport of over 46 thousand tons annually of slag and hazardous ashes left after the incineration.
The impact on Sofia inhabitants as a result of air pollution caused by this traffic, together with the emissions from burning fuel of waste has not been assessed objectively in the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA), prepared in relation to building the facility, thus a cumulative assessment of the accumulation of pollutants is lacking.
“For example, it has not been taken into account that to the already polluted air, which we have observed in Sofia for the last few weeks, will be added the emissions from the incineration facility,” Evegeniya Tasheva from Environmental Association For the Earth says. Missing in the report is an assessment of the risks for the health of the inhabitants not only in the adjacent to the facility neighborhoods, but within the bounds of the whole city, and only the risk for only 600 people working at the site of TPP Sofia is assessed.
Meanwhile, citizens living in a neighborhood adjacent to TPP-Sofia who are concerned about their health have been put under pressure by the Municipality to withdraw their complaint, which they have submitted against the new Detailed Site Development Plan for Serdika district, including the construction of a facility for waste incineration within meters from their homes. We remind that nearly a year ago the citizens of Serdica district collected nearly 2000 signatures for halting the project, with a request to the Municipality for a new open public discussion. Sofia Municipality did not grant their request, and thus all details on the project – health, ecological and financial consequences are still unclear for the citizens of Sofia.
The project will cost 260 million lev, and EU funding under the Operative Programme Environment is expected for the construction of the facility. But the exceptionally costly maintenance and filter replacement will be paid by the citizens from their household waste taxes.
Environmental Association “Za Zemyata” (For the Earth) again calls on Sofia Municipality instead of this costly and hazardous project to undertake quick and determined steps for dealing with the waste, which avoid health risks and are much cheaper. Sofia might follow the example of Ljubljana, which is the green capital of Europe for 2016 and which stepped back from constructing a facility for waste incineration. A positive direction for Sofia to go would be to set the tax household waste based on quantity and to institute intensive separate collection of recyclable and biodegradable waste for all households and offices, accompanied by a large-scale and sustained educating campaigning, with which to inform citizens what they should separate in their garbage, and where they can deliver hazardous, construction and other specific household waste.
The plan for waste incineration in Toplofikatsiya – even more particle pollution in Sofia
