Stojan Velkov Trn: waste sorting can stop fires at Bosilovo landfill

Strumica actor and civic activist Stojan Velkov Trn has been staging a days-long protest in the village of Bosilovo to draw attention to repeated fires at the community's large landfill and the wider problem of unmanaged waste in the area.

The activist's proposal

Trn says the root of the problem is the absence of systematic waste separation: without sorting at source and infrastructure to process recyclable material, rubbish piles up and later ends up being burned or otherwise poorly treated.

“Of course it is not all perfect with sorting. But it is the first step we must start doing intensively so that we can rid ourselves of this waste. We really have to level the landfills. And if we don't do that in an organized way, all the garbage, all that waste will end up somewhere and be treated inadequately,” said Stojan Velkov Trn.

Beyond reducing the volume of waste left on dumps, Trn argues that a functioning sorting system could also create economic value: with appropriate infrastructure, sorted material becomes more attractive to buying companies.

“So my concrete proposal is the following. The old landfills — the illegal dumps — should be filled with construction rubble and compacted so they are flat, where possible asphalted; build partitions with mesh and have shredders or a press that will compress or crush the collected sorted material. That way we will be much more attractive to those who buy. But how will there be any? People don't want to fill the truck with air. The bottles aren't even being crushed in the bins they are put in. We have bins exclusively for plastic,” Trn said.

He warned that occasional clean-ups and putting out fires are not enough. What is needed, he said, are systemic measures: permanent sorting schemes, investment in infrastructure, and greater responsibility from both institutions and residents to prevent future accumulation, fires and environmental pollution.

Photo: press material from the event