Zero Waste International Alliance Naples Italy 19 th

Zero Waste International Alliance, Naples, Italy 19 th February 2009 Zero Waste in Central and Eastern Europe? Where does EU money go? Ivaylo Hlebarov, Environmental Association Za Zemiata (For the Earth), Sofia, Bulgaria; member of CEE Bankwatch Network

Content • • • Introduction Short presentation of the playing field in CEE Presentation of the Sofia case Official proposal NGO proposal Questions & answers

EU funds and the EIB support in CEE Structural and cohesion funds: € 347 bn for 2007 -13 = 36% of EU budget € 177 bn for CEE-10 = 2. 5 x more annually than in 2004 -06 European Investment Bank, EU’s public bank Total annual portfolio: € 53 bn in 2006 68 % of the EIB's lending to the waste sector over the 2002 -2006 period went to incinerator projects (EUR 992. 6 million) only EUR 30 million of EIB finance in the period went for composting, for one project, and EUR 17 million for two sorting centres for recycling.

Playing field in Central and Eastern Europe • National waste management plans/strategies focused on end-ofpipe solutions • EU financial support is mainly spend on heavy infrastructure – landfills and incineration (to cope with EU legislation) • EU legislation is promoting incineration • Western Europe consultants – advice authorities to use magic technologies • Low level of separate collection and recycling • Corruption and who deals with the waste management

CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe present: Regio. Scars Award 2009 1 st place to Twelve (Nine 2008) waste incinerators, Poland The most ill-conceived project planned for EU funding in CEE countries in 2007 -13. This project in its current form deserves 0 euros from the EU budget. Alternative options should be assessed first.

Naples and Sofia going hand by hand

Plastic bales with mixed, shredded waste (eco bales? !)

Sofia case Sofia waste management project/crisis • 1. 3 mln people, roughly 1 200 t/daily municipal waste ~ 480 000 t/y • the only landfill closed after protests in 2005, illegally reopened 2007 • in 2005 following the example of Naples (Napoli) – baling of waste started, leaks smells, expensive – corruption and Mafia run the waste management • landfill reopened in 2007 after EC started infringement procedure, few days ago Bulgarian court declared reopening was illegal • incinerator company Fichtner contracted to propose a system (2. 5 mln euro) – estimated project costs above 210 mln euro • 4 alternatives – Selected one include RDF (refuse derived fuel), roughly 30% recycling at maximum

NGO alternative - on the way to Zero Waste At least 50% recycling of total waste with a potential for a higher target by 2020 Good separation system Residual waste – after additional separation, stabilised by MBT and landfilled PAYT system to be potentially introduced Involve informal sector – waste pickers Try to use EU funds for the system

Thank you for your attention <hlebarov@bankwatch. org <www. zazemiata. org <www. bankwatch. org