The first regional depot for household waste financed by the EU Environment operational program was opened Friday near the town of Botevgrad, close to the Bulgarian capital Sofia.

The depot will serve over 56 000 people from the municipalities of the towns of Botevgrad, Pravets, Etropole, along with 31 smaller locations, while the recycling unit is scheduled to open in mid-2013.

The facility is part of the system for waste management in the area of Botevgrad, and is the first of a total of 23 that are to be built with EU financing across the country. It costs BGN 14.4 M with BGN 2.1 co-financed by the Bulgarian State.

The three municipalities now can clear and remove unregulated smaller landfills. The recycling center is financed by the Botevgrad municipality and a private investor. After its opening, 80% of the waste will be recycled and only 20% will enter the depot.

"Bulgaria is one of the four countries in the EU that has no frozen funding from operational programs. Three years ago, the Botevgrad landfill was blowing smoke daily. Now, the beautiful nature and sites in the area will no longer be polluted," said Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, at the opening ceremony.