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Description
This project aims to build a strong partnership between the Municipality of Straldzha and International Development Norway for exchange of good practices in the area of climate change adaptation and mitigation. The municipality employees will learn new skills and gain competences for assessing the strategic plans and measures for climate change actions. This will make them more successful at reducing/limiting greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience in the local community to adapt to climate change. Ultimately, the municipality will become more efficient in planning, defining, analyzing and implementing new critical steps to prevent or limit possible damages that climate change may cause.
The implementation of this activity will ensure full compliance with the objectives of the project and the program to improve the status of the environment in ecosystems and reduce the effects of pollution in the municipality of Straldzha. The results will contribute to the achievement of the objectives set in the project, corresponding to the objectives of the main objectives of the EEA FM, as well as the requirements and objectives of the national and European strategic documents in the field of climate change, in synergy with European, national and meat policies and strategic documents in the field of waste management.
The project campaign will focus also on the preparation of a feasibility study by the beneficiary''s experts; construction of a site for collection and recycling of household waste materials; supply of facilities for operation of a site for collection and recycling of household waste materials; supply of containers for biodegradable/ food waste; implementation of construction supervision under the Spatial Development Act and the creation of a model and algorithm for calculating the municipal waste fee.
More information about the project could be found at the following link:
Summary of project results
The main challenge that the project aimed to address was to develop and implementat climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in order to to improve the status of the environment in ecosystems and reduce the effects of pollution in the municipality of Straldzha.
As part of the project activities, an assessment of the municipal development plan of Straldzha Municipality and development of plans at the local level were elaborated.
A study to identify specific approaches and training models to improve competence in Donor States was also conducted. Thus, an analysis of the applicability of the identified model in Straldzha Municipality was prepared which resulted in improvement of the competence of municipal employees in the field of planning climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.
A pilot scheme for separate collection of biodegradable/food waste has been implemented in Straldzha Municipality, as well as a pilot scheme for separate collection of green and garden waste to ensure the quantities necessary for the technological process of compost production, which has improved the management of green and biodegradable waste generated by the population of the municipality
A Local development plan for the period 2021-2025, including good practices and applicable measures learned within the project was developed under the project. In accordance with the requirements of the sectoral legislation, the measures and activities envisaged in the plan supplement and build on the objectives for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, targeted measures for adaptation to climate change and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.
A campaign to disseminate good practices of the donor countries, the measures implemented with the project, lessons learned and good practices in the field of adaptation to climate change was also carried out under the project.
The implementation of the project activities in the municipality of Straldzha increased the skills and expertise at the local level and the competence of the employees, which were one of the main target groups. The successfully completed project activities and achieved goals of the project provided with the opportunity to upgrade and multiply the results, not only in other municipalities, but also in similar challenges and sectors. The experience gained from the project will be disseminated purposefully and not purposefully in each subsequent activity, both to the Project Promoter and to the partners.
Different categories of end-users of administrative and social activities, economic services and the local population are other direct stakeholders in the project. The practical implementation of the measures will not only enrich the knowledge of the target groups, but will also facilitate their organization of the waste management system, through the pilot implementation of methodology and algorithm following the principle "pay as you throw " or "polluter pays". In this way, they will become direct participants in the implementation of the measures and their effect. The enhanced environmental culture will allow for the efficient management of own resources, which will also support the implementation of the main objective of the EEA FM to reduce economic and social disparities in the EEA.
Municipalities on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria are also defined as indirect stakeholders to implement the results of the project at their own expense or through another source of funding. In this way, they will meet legislative obligations not only to take measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change, but also to implement separate collection models to achieve the goals of recycling municipal waste.
Summary of bilateral results
Bilateral cooperation was needed to ensure a practical exchange of expertise and experience in which partner participants cancould learn from each other by exchanging expertise and models of good governance. The partnership received added value not only because it brought together different actors from different countries, but also because it mobilized the efforts and expertise of the participating experts, both to improve staff training and expertise at the local level and to define applicable climate mitigation and adaptation measures changes and implementation of models for recycling and separate collection, and for the creation of an algorithm for calculating the municipal waste fee, guided by the "polluter pays" principle, and defining approaches for direct involvement of the target groups in the project. The added value of the project partnership consisted of: getting acquainted with the organizational and know-how sectoral solutions; transfer of know-how and good practices; implementation of models for evaluation of plans and programs implemented in the donor countries; defining measures for climate change mitigation and adaptation; models of circular economy; raising awareness and knowledge of project results and sectoral challenges; development of a well-functioning cooperation network.In the process of project implementation, good practices were taken, not only in the field of climate, but also in waste management, which have been applied over the years in Norway.