The issue with waste collection and disposal in Sofia is a crossing point for different interests — political, economic, civil - which in most cases go in different directions. So far solutions to the problem have been sought at the political and economic level, while the citizens only mobilize in times of serious crisis. This is why citizen involvement initiatives have been limited to local civic groups resisting certain decisions. The NGO Links project aimed at supporting the process of finding solutions to the problem by involving all three stakeholders — citizens, local authorities and waste collection companies - in the process of monitoring the waste collection and disposal activities in two Sofia regions, Slatina and Lyulin, thus mobilizing the citizens and improving the control over this public service.
The main project objective was to establish a working mechanism for citizen monitoring of the waste collection and disposal services in the regions of Slatina and Lyulin in Sofia Municipality. After consultations with the local authorities and the companies, NGO Links translated the rights and obligations of the three stakeholders related to keeping Sofia clean into understandable terms. The information leaflet “Idea for Clean Sofia!” was disseminated to the registered building managers and four schools in the two regions. A questionnaire was developed which the monitoring volunteers used to carry out the monitoring for a period of three months on a weekly basis. The results from all 1212 questionnaires filled were processed and summarized using software specially developed for the purpose and published in two brochures. The schoolchildren taking part in the monitoring also took part in the Idea for Clean Sofia Contest by writing a letter with proposals and ideas for a cleaner city to the Mayor of Sofia. The four best letters were awarded at special discussion events where the mayors of the two regions answered the questions of the children and commented on their proposals. Upon analyzing the monitoring results NGO Links worked out a Cleanliness Index — an instrument which ensures more transparency in the municipality, better control over the business performance and improved civil awareness and involvement.
- developed software for filling and analysing questionnaires
- 390 students participated in the monitoring
- 6 NGOs participated in the monitoring
- 37 building managers involved
- 1212 filled questionnaires for three months on a weekly basis
- two brochures with the monitoring results published
- Cleanliness Index – four-degree scale to monitor the waste collection and waste disposal services – methodology and definitions for grades of Cleanliness
- developed 10 recommendations to the municipality, the business and the citizens
- designed poster to communicate the monitoring goals
- request to include additional schools to take part in the monitoring
Contact information
Teodora Gandova;; 40A Graf Ignatiev St., Sofia 1000, Bulgaria
Tel.: ++ 359 2 491 28 90
Fax: ++ 359 2 491 28 94
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