ECOLOGIA BALKANICA 2019, Special Edition 2 pp. 181-185
Waste-cluster Relationship on the Example of Regional Waste Landfill in Blagoevgrad
Stefka K. Tsekova, Veselina H. Dalgacheva*, Nikolinka K. Atanasova
South-West University “Neofit Rilski”, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Department of Geography, Ecology and Environmental Protection, 66 Ivan Mihailov Str., 2700 Blagoevgrad, BULGARIA *Corresponding author: [email protected]
Abstract. Bulgaria is facing serious challenges about environmentally friendly way of waste management. Commissioning of the Regional Waste Management System - Blagoevgrad is going to ensure their environmentally friendly utilization and disposal, which is in close relation with the defined hierarchy in Bulgarian Waste management act - prevention, utilization, final disposal. The attempt to be created relation between regional waste management and cluster policy is related to the development of a cluster model, named by authors "Waste utilization and mitigation of climate change”. The implementation of the model will contribute to sustainable and efficient waste management in Blagoevgrad region, as well as in the territory of Bulgaria, in relation with the requirements of European legislation. In other side this contributing to the realization of the main Community priorities for Cohesion Policy: sustainable development and increasing the attractiveness of regions, by improving accessibility, ensuring adequate quality and level of services and preserving their environmental potential.
Key words: regional waste management, cluster model, resource utilization, climate change, mitigation, Blagoevgrad, municipality.
Introduction which includes municipalities from Environmentally friendly waste Blagoevgrad and Kyustendil province. management is a priority for the European (Ministry of environment and water, List of countries in transition, especially for the last Regional associations of waste management in 10-15 years. Following the waste management Bulgaria). model, applied in some European countries, The participants in this association are the Bulgarian Ministry of environment and the following municipalities: Municipality of water has adopted the approach for building Blagoevgrad and Municipality of Simitly, both of regional landfills for waste disposal with from Blagoevgrad district and Municipality of pre-treatment. In order to implement the Rila, Municipality of Boboshevo and recommendations of Ministry of environment Municipality of Kocherinovo, from Kyustendil and water in 2011 has been formed “Regional district. In September 2019 has finished the Waste Management Association – first stage of construction of the regional Blagoevgrad”. The association is independent, landfill under the project “"Regional Waste voluntary, non-government organization, Management System, Blagoevgrad Region,
© Ecologia Balkanica Union of Scientists in Bulgaria – Plovdiv http://eb.bio.uni-plovdiv.bg University of Plovdiv Publishing House Waste-cluster relationship on the example of regional waste landfill in Blagoevgrad serving the municipalities of Blagoevgrad, economic links between). It is thought that Simitly, Rila, Kocherinovo and Boboshevo - geographical proximity facilitates planned Phase I". The implementation of projects for interactions, which are important elements of the construction of municipal waste the innovation process. Third - Clusters are management systems, of which regional characterized by a certain dynamic social and landfills are part, is regulated by Directive organizational element, the so-called 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste. In "institutional attachment / fixation" - accordance with its requirements, it is planned attracting various interconnected innovation to build regional systems to cover waste partners, thus facilitating intensive interaction management in the country. (Ministry of and cooperation between them. H. Rocha and environment and water, Waste management R. Sternberg (ROCHA & STERNBERG, 2005) call Blagoevgrad). the third dimension of clusters a network of In this paper the authors are facing the cooperative organizations. challenge to represent a relationship between The structure of Regional waste wastes and clusters. Clusters, according to management association is consisted of Porter (PORTER, 2003) “are geographically General assembly and Chairman of proximate group of interconnected administrative board. The administrative companies, suppliers, service providers and board includes the mayors of the five associated institutions in a particular field, municipalities (Blagoevgrad, Simitly, Rila, linked by externalities of various types.”. Boboshevo and Kocherinovo) and the Chairman of the Administrative board is the Material and Methods mayor of Blagoevgrad municipality. For the purpose of the present study the Each municipality participates with authors have been investigated some different percent in the activities for characteristics of the clusters and the structure of construction of the regional landfill and the regional waste management association. The putting it into operation; construction of waste authors present an example of a model, which is treatment facilities by making cash (property) focused to waste-cluster relationship on the contributions; providing project financing for example of the regional landfill in Blagoevgrad. the different stages of construction of the regional landfill and / or other waste Results and Discussion treatment facilities; the amount of the The different definitions for clusters are contribution of the regional association to the focusing on different aspects. The concept of realization of the project. clusters usually consists of three important The participation of each municipality as dimensions (SLAVOVA & BANKOVA, 2016). a member of the association is shown on the According to the same authors the first diagram showed on Fig. 1. dimension is related to considering clusters as The main objectives of the Regional a geographic concentration of specialized firms, Waste Management Association - advanced skills and competences of the Blagoevgrad are the joint construction, workforce, as well as the support of management and operation of the regional institutions that increase knowledge flows landfill for non-hazardous wastes, situated on and their dissemination as a result of their a property, owned by the Blagoevgrad proximity. This grouping of different Municipality. The property falls within the strengths is often referred to as a promising boundaries of the existing municipal landfill strategy for maintaining global of Blagoevgrad Municipality; management of competitiveness. Second – Clusters include a widespread and specific waste streams; network of joint / cooperative enterprises efficient resources utilization, resulting from (companies that have formal, social and waste management processes.
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Kocherinovo Municipality Boboshevo Municipality 5% 3% Rila Municipality 3% Similty Municipality 14%
Blagoevgrad Municipality 75%
Fig.1. Participation of each member (municipality) of the Regional Association (in %) (after ATANASOVA, 2017).
In order to be achieved the above developed an example for acting regional mentioned objectives it is upcoming for all cluster, which can be used for waste municipalities to: management. The cluster in this case is on Select company/companies for: the example of regional waste landfill in - Collecting of municipal waste from Blagoevgrad. the containers according to appropriate Тhe activities are separated in different developed transport schedules; groups - A, B, C, D. - Operation of the regional landfill on A. Collecting and transportation of total the territory of Blagoevgrad Municipality. municipal waste stream, bio-waste and Select company/companies for: green waste. - Collecting of widespread and specific One company (A) can be responsible waste streams and their transportation to the for operation of the regional landfill and also installation and places for pre-treatment, for collecting the household waste from preparing for recycling and composting. Blagoevgrad and Simitly. - Collecting of hazardous household One company (B) can be responsible waste by announcing schedules for each for collecting of household waste from municipality; Kocherinovo, Rila and Boboshevo. It is - Collecting of bulky waste by necessary to be done on a set schedule. announcing schedules for each municipality; B. Collection of widespread waste - Select company/companies for: packaging waste and transfer to the pre- - Operation of waste pre-treatment/ treatment (separation) installation located in separation installations for waste and their the industrial zone of Blagoevgrad; future recycling; anaerobic disposal of bio- The implementation of this activity can waste and composting of green waste; be done from one Packaging Waste Recovery - Operation of installations for Organization (C), licensed by the Ministry of storage of hazardous and bulky waste. environment and water of Bulgaria. The The regional waste management - Organization can operate on the territory of cluster policy relationship is consisted of the all five municipalities on a set schedule. potential benefits for the above mentioned C. Collection, transportation and future companies. Taking into consideration operation of sites for hazardous and bulky all above mentioned the authors have waste
183 Waste-cluster relationship on the example of regional waste landfill in Blagoevgrad
The activity, for all five municipalities, processes are consistent and continuous. The can be implemented by one company (D), Regional Waste Management Association - licensed by the Ministry of environment and Blagoevgrad should oversee the water of Bulgaria for working with implementation of all waste activities and hazardous waste. financial dimensions. The proposed example D. Operation of pre-treatment installation for cluster organization can be defined as an The activity can be done from one organized effort to maximize the benefits of company (E) with good experience. waste treatment, growth and All companies are interconnected due to competitiveness of clusters in the the fact that the waste management Blagoevgrad region.
Table 1. Proposal for participation of the companies included in the regional system.
Collection Collection, and Collection of Collection, transport and transportatio packaging transport and operation of n of waste operation of sites Municipality sites and household including and installation installation for bio-waste widespread for hazardous pre-treatment of and green waste and bulky waste waste waste Blagoevgrad Company A Recovery Company D Company E organization C Simitly Company A Recovery Company D Company E organization C Rila Company B Recovery Company D Company E organization C
Kocherinovo Company B Recovery Company D Company E organization C
Boboshevo Company B Recovery Company D Company E organization C
Conclusions References The study represents the aim of the ATANASOVA N., 2017. Using the cluster authors to research and create a connection approach to waste management – between waste and clusters on the example Blagoevgrad region. Available at: of the regional landfill in Blagoevgrad. This [www.hrpub.org]. type of differentiation and organization of Ministry of environment and water, List of the activities between the separate Regional associations of waste companies can be used in other regional management in Bulgaria. Available at: landfills. The implementation of the [www.moew.government.bg]. proposed cluster model could have Ministry of environment and water, Waste multiplier effect - on future regional waste management Blagoevgrad, Available at: management and disposal systems; [www.moew.government.bg]. economy, activities related to mitigate the PORTER M., 2003. The Economic Performance of climate change. Regions. - Regional Studies, 37(6-7): 545-546.
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SLAVOVA I., Y. BANKOVA. 2016. National Cluster Policy in Bulgaria: Essence and Basic Characteristics”, - Izvestiya Magazine, 2: 185-200. Available at: [journal.ue-varna.bg] (In Bulgarian). ROCHA H., R. STERNBERG. 2005. Entrepreneurship: the role of clusters. Theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence from Germany. - Small Business Economics, 24: 267–292. [DOI]
Received: 20.10.2019 Accepted: 13.12.2019
© Ecologia Balkanica Union of Scientists in Bulgaria – Plovdiv http://eb.bio.uni-plovdiv.bg University of Plovdiv Publishing House