Balgarianovinite.com “I have a responsibility to provide a service at an affordable price,” said Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev on Sunday regarding the much awaited resolution of the waste management problem which has plagued parts of the 1.3 million population city for months.
“I will solve this problem, no matter how much my critics and enemies may doubt it,” Terziev told Nova TV on Sunday. According to him, the effort is worthwhile because otherwise City Hall would have had to agree to pay BGN 400 million, which would have burdened Sofia residents without providing them with a reliable service. He emphasized that public interest must be protected and clear rules followed.
Several boroughs of Bulgaria’s capital have been experiencing waste collection issues since October 2025. The crisis began in the boroughs of Lyulin and Krasno Selo after Sofia City Hall refused to sign new waste collection contracts over inflated prices. At the time, Mayor Terziev said that Sofia Municipality would not pay a protection racket fee and would not yield to “mafia practices”. In early December, Izgrev, Poduyane, and Slatina joined the list of boroughs with disrupted waste collection. A temporary collection system has been in force since. During the first days of 2026, citizens reported difficulties with waste collection in several areas, including the Lyulin, Poduyane, and Slatina boroughs. City Hall representatives said the backlog in collection in critical areas of Sofia will be cleared. Earlier on Sunday, citizens protested in front of City Hall over the ongoing problem with waste collection.
Asked in Sunday’s televised interview whether trust in him is declining due to the waste crisis, Terziev replied “I don’t think so.” He added: “There is criticism, sometimes justified, often not.”
“Our plan is to complete what we started – we said we would not accept extortionate prices,” Terziev also commented during the Nova TV programme. “Waste collection is relatively good in six zones,” he said. In the zones of Izgrev, Poduyane and Slatina, the struggle continues, with the municipal waste treatment company constantly hiring staff and adding trucks, the mayor highlighted. He also noted the possibility of involving volunteers in cleaning these areas. The goal, according to Terziev, is to move towards signing a contract with “someone who can carry out this work at competitive prices.”
The situation in the Lyulin Borough is not ideal, but it is moving towards stabilization. “I have assurance from Sofekostroy that by the end of January collection will run without problems,” Terziev added. Regarding waste collection contracts, he said the annexes are mainly with the company Titan.
Asked whether there had been delays in the public tender for the city’s waste collection and the absence of a stated maximum price, Terziev said this is a matter of interpretation. He rejected criticism from Boris Bonev of the Save Sofia group in the Municipal Council. Terziev also said there was no basis for comments suggesting any closeness between him and the Turkish consortium that had shown interest in Sofia’s waste management. Sofia Mayor Promises Affordable Service as Waste Crisis Continues 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-01-11 19:18:26 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law