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Description
Every year Sofia generates nearly 75,000 tons of food waste or about 13% of all generated waste. Regardless of the modern facility for production of electricity and compost from food waste, only a small part of the city''s food waste goes there, the larger - ends up with other waste. Proper disposal of end-of-life automotive tires is a necessary prevention against unauthorized disposal and subsequent incineration for heating, which releases toxic compounds into the atmosphere.
This is why one of the main goals of this project is to introduce three schemes for separate collection and recovery of food waste and end of life tires through the development of a system for separate collection "door to door" of food waste in Verdikal, Bankya, Simeonovo, Dragalivtsi and Vitosha District. A web-based information system for digitalization of the process of food waste collection will identify specific consumption patterns and trends in waste generation in order to prevent the uncontrolled waste disposal. The result will be more the food waste being recycled and the share of recycled tires in Sofia will increase.
Moreover, a system for separate collection of "voluntary transfer" of obsolete car tires for the territory of Sofia Large Municipality will be developed and primary materials from which they are made will be utilized.
The project also included activities for increasing the skills and competencies of the specialists in connection with the application of the principles of the circular economy. Three-day training will be provided for municipal employees with a topic covering the EU environmental policy, the sustainable development and circular economy, the life cycle of raw materials and products and waste management, business and financial models in the circular economy as well as re-use principles and objectives and good practices from Norway which could be implemented on a local level.
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Summary of project results
Every year, nearly 75,000 tons of food waste are generated in Sofia, which is almost 13% of all waste generated. Despite the presence of a modern installation "Khan Bogrov" for the production of electricity and compost from food waste since 2014, it still operates at half capacity and only a small part of Sofia''s food waste goes there - from some of the markets, catering establishments, kindergartens and schools. Food waste from households is still thrown away mixed with other waste. Proper disposal of car tires is a sure prevention against unregulated collection and their subsequent burning for heating, which releases toxic compounds that do not decompose quickly, are easily transported by air over long distances and cause damage to nature and people. Car tires discarded next to or in waste containers, in green areas and in unregulated places pollute the environment and a lot of public resources are spent on their cleaning and removal. The main objective of this project proposal is the creation of 3 schemes for separate collection and recovery of food waste and end-of-life tires. The following activities are planned, aimed at the target groups of the project - the municipal administration and the general public: - Identification of specific consumption patterns and trends in waste generation - Introduction of 3 schemes for separate collection and recycling - Transfer of good practices from Norway - Conducting information campaigns. As a result of the project implementation, it is expected to create an integrated information system for separate collection and recycling of up to 90% of food waste in Verdikal district, Bankya city, Simeonovo district and Dragalevtsi district, Vitosha region. The project envisages the creation of a system for separate collection of end-of-life tires, which will further increase the share of recycled tire waste on the territory of Sofia Municipality to 40%. Sofia Municipality is an administrative-territorial unit that also has the status of a district. The Sofia Municipality covers 38 settlements, of which 4 cities (Sofia, Bankya, Buhovo and Novi Iskar) and 34 villages. Sofia is divided into 24 districts. The mayors of the districts resolve issues arising from the daily needs of the population by place of residence, administrative services for citizens, public development, sanitation and garbage collection. Sofia is divided into 24 districts. In this regard, the specifics of each of the individual districts should be taken into account - for example, in the districts of Dragalevtsi and Simeonovo and in the city of Bankya. Effective waste management is closely linked to taking into account the characteristics of the area and the structural conditions. In addition to economic and infrastructural circumstances (e.g. number of inhabitants, accessibility of available transport routes, economic situation, etc.), the social and cultural framework is also of great importance. These factors have a decisive impact not only on the qualitative and quantitative development of waste, but also on the possible scope and effectiveness of individual waste management techniques and measures.
As a result of the implementation of the activity the following results will be achieved: 1.Development of a system for separate collection "door to door" of food waste in Verdikal, Bankya 2. .Developmentof a system for separate collection "door to door" of food waste in Simeonovo and Dragalivtsi, Vitosha District 3. A web-based information system will be developed for digitalization of the process of food waste collection 4. 1000 pcs will be purchased and distributed. small and 1000 pcs. street containers with tags for consumers (households). 5.Development of a system for separate collection of "voluntary transfer" of obsolete car tires for the territory of Sofia Large Municipality and utilization of the primary materials from which they are made. 6. A report on the results achieved will be prepared.
4 information campaigns will be organized - Campaign 1: Launch campaign - Campaign 2: Thematic campaign on food waste recycling - Campaign 3: Thematic campaign for separate collection of end-of-life automotive tires - Campaign 4: Digital campaign
A trip to Oslo for 4 members of the project team - Meetings with Oslo Municipal Administration to discuss municipal practices for conducting communication campaigns to raise public awareness of separate collection and recycling. - Prepared Report on good practices and opportunities for implementation in the implementation of campaigns for separate waste collection by Sofia Municipality.
In order to achieve the implementation of the activity, the following activities were carried out for Supply of containers for separate collection of food waste from households in the district of Sofia. Verdikal, Bankya District and in the Bankya District. In the period 28-29.09.2024, a total of 191 containers for separate collection of food waste of 120 litres were delivered, each container equipped with an RFID tag and 191 small kitchen buckets for separate collection of food waste of 10 litres. During the same period, two-day information and awareness campaigns were held in the three neighbourhoods, and all the delivered containers were distributed. The rest of the set number of containers (809 pcs. ) was delivered to distribute the containers to addresses in the three districts of the Sofia Municipality. A Preliminary Analysis of Expected Results (under Activity 2) has been prepared, based on which it is estimated that the amount of food waste separated from the total municipal waste stream as a result of the implementation of Activity 2 of the Project among the households covered will amount to about 7 tons on an annual basis. In order to digitize the food waste collection process, a web-based information system was built. - A dedicated web-based integrated information system was developed to digitalize the food waste collection process in the district. "Verdikal", city of Sofia. The project was developed as part of a project to develop a digital digital content management system for the Food Distribution Centre in Bankya and in the Verdical district. "The project will be implemented in the digital mapping of the food distribution network in the city of Verdikal, in Bulgaria, in the city of Simeonovo and in the city of Gdansk. "Dragalevtsi" in Vitosha District. - provided - Detailed technical documentation for the database schema. - User''s and Administrator''s manuals for system operation and administration, including all necessary procedures and scripts for installation, configuration, backup, restore, etc. - Full functional tests of the system have also been performed to ensure proper system performance. In order to solve the problem regarding the unregulated disposal of tires, identified in the primary analysis prepared under the project, and to reduce the costs for their treatment, Sofia Municipality service of a shredder for mechanical shredding of end-of-life car tires. the delivery of a stationary shredder for the treatment of end-of-life car tires was carried out, which was positioned at the Suhodol DNF.
With the operation of the shredder, it is expected that the MSW separated at the MBT plant at the Sadinata site, which have been improperly placed in the mixed household waste containers, as well as those that have been collected separately at the sites for the free transfer of separately collected recyclables from citizens, will be prepared for recycling by initially removing the metal parts (the wires) from the tyre board and then shredding them into smaller parts. The shredder has a capacity of 3 tonnes/hour and the size of the rubber chips produced at the output of the shredder will be up to 10 cm. With the operation of the shredder, it is expected that the MSW separated at the MBT plant at the Sadinata site, which have been improperly placed in the mixed household waste containers, as well as those which have been collected separately at the sites for the free delivery of separately collected recyclables from citizens, will be prepared for recycling by first removing the metal parts (wires) from the tyre board and then shredding them into smaller parts. The shredder has a capacity of 3 tonnes/hour and the size of the rubber chips produced at the output of the shredder will be up to 10 cm. The reprocessing will save the area occupied by accumulated tyres and reduce the volume of waste by facilitating its transportation to a plant/installation for further treatment. The implementation of the activity aims to establish a system for recycling ELVs and recovering the primary materials from which they are made, as these materials can be directed for incineration in plants that hold a permit for tyre incineration, or for reuse in the manufacture of, for example, shock-absorbing flooring for playgrounds, etc.
2 analyses were prepared as follows: - An analysis of the food waste collection system of Sofia Municipality and a model of household food waste consumption and generation for Vitosha District. The model and analysis of the consumption of food in the Vitosha district and the consumption of food in the Vitosha district. Meiteo - City of Simeon and Dragalevtsi; - Analysis of the generated waste from end-of-life car tires generated on the territory of Sofia Municipality and the ways for their recovery through recycling.
With the distributed containers for separate food waste collection and based on the preliminary analysis, it is estimated that the separated quantities of food waste from the covered households will amount to about 7 tons on an annual basis.
To solve the problem identified in the primary analysis prepared under the project, namely the unregulated disposal of tires and in order to reduce the costs of their treatment, the Sofia Municipality provided a stationary shredder for the treatment of end-of-life tires, which is positioned at the Suhodol Waste Management Area.
A system for separate collection "door-to-door" of food waste was created and implemented in the Verdikal district, Bankya 2.
A system for separate collection "door-to-door" of food waste was created and implemented in the Simeonovo and Dragalivtsi districts, Vitosha Region.
A web-based information system was created for the digitalization of the food waste collection process.
Created and implemented a system for separate collection "voluntary handover" of end-of-life tires on the territory of the Greater Sofia Municipality and recovery of the primary materials from which they are made.
Distributed 1000 pcs. small and 1000 pcs. street containers with tags for consumers (households).
Conducted a "Thematic Campaign for Utilization of Food Waste" - the aim of which is to raise awareness of the local population about ways to prevent the formation of food waste.
Conducted a Thematic Campaign for Recycling of Food Waste.
Meetings were held with the Oslo Municipal Administration to discuss municipal practices for conducting communication campaigns to raise awareness of the population about separate collection and recycling.
Meetings were held with the Oslo municipal administration to discuss municipal practices for conducting communication campaigns to raise public awareness about separate collection and recycling
Conducted a training session for municipal employees on the following topics: - EU environmental policy - Sustainable development and circular economy - Life cycle of raw materials, materials and products - Waste management - Business models in the circular economy - Financial models in the circular economy - Reuse: principles and goals - Developed a Project page on the official website of the Sofia Municipality and practices from Norway.
Summary of bilateral results
In order of the implementation of the activity, the following was realised:In the period of 25 - 27 April 2023 , a team from Sofia Municipality and the Sofia Inspectorate visited the Kingdom of Norway within the framework of Activity 5 Dissemination of good practices for waste management from donor countries, project BGENVIRONMENT-3.002-0011 Improving waste management on the territory of Sofia Municipality through the implementation of a pilot project for three municipal schemes for separate collection and recycling of waste, funded under the programme "Environmental protection and climate change".- Good practices for implementation of waste separation campaigns were investigated, and in order to explore the possibilities for their application in the implementation of waste separation campaigns by the Metropolitan Municipality, experts prepared a Good Practices Report, which is attached to this report;- Meetings were held with Oslo Municipality, Aasker Municipality, Sirkula Recycling Station and their second-hand shopping centre Resirkula, located in the municipality of Hamar and serving 4 neighbouring municipalities and the Magic Factory, an experience centre where students and other interested parties can easily learn in an understandable and practical way how the biogas cycle works, during which municipal practices for conducting communication campaigns to raise awareness of the population on separate collection and recycling were discussed.