News & Events

“This investment will contribute greatly in achieving the recycling targets that the country has to achieve"

Valuable statement, especially when it is stated by Mr. George Kremlis. Honorary Director of the European Commission, in charge on behalf of DG ENV (Directorate-General for Environment of the European Commission) of circular economy. We had the pleasure of hosting him in our under construction plant in Elin Pelin, Sofia Bulgaria, on 17/10/2018 and present to him the Mayor of Elin Pelin and members of the municipal board this pioneer investment describing to them the philosophy and future benefits that will bring forth for Balkans and Europe by creating at the same time more than 85 new working positions.

Mr. Kremlis stated:

“It is a real pleasure to be here today, in your dynamic municipality that has a strategic location in the wider area of Sofia where numerous investments are under way. I am pleased to be able to visit this under construction and soon to be finished important circular economy plastic management plant. It is a real state of the art installation in line with the highest EU standards that fully complies with the EU legislation through the permits that have been granted. This EU legislation ensures the Protection of the Environment and Health of its Citizens as well as the protection of Biodiversity.  This investment will contribute greatly in achieving the recycling targets that the country has to achieve by the end of 2020 (50%) that currently are below 20%. In the next 2 years enormous efforts need to be made for achieving those targets since noncompliance will lead to infringement procedures and of course to fines that must be paid. Plastic recycling will be boosted by this plant and help reaching the goals.

The new EU plastic strategy is already out and if we do not act quickly there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish, in the near future. This investment is a pioneering plant, one of the kind in the Balkans that will convert plastic waste to high quality products (granules, flakes) for domestic use or export. Congratulations to the investors and the Mayor of the municipality as well as to the country. Circular Economy is of our most importance priority, presenting a new economic model preserving the resources of our planet. Waste is no longer a waste but a resource and a product. Landfilling will no longer be a habit. Eco-innovative processes and products will invade our life.”

By answering questions from the public Mr. Kremlis made it clear that this plant is considered a pioneer and is not experimental, no burning smells or hazardous materials affect the well-being of the citizens. Those kind of facilities already exist in other member states with very high recycling rates. The technology is already tested and proven. This is not a waste to energy plant but a facility that will transform plastic waste into valuable secondary products. Keeping those products within the EU and not exporting to China will benefit greatly our economy. INTEGRA Plastics AD is leading the circular way to a different kind of economic priority of the EU.  

Finally, representing the investors, Mr. Julian Belev (CEO) presented more technical details of the project, giving emphasis to the technology of this initiative starting from state of the art optical sorters to dedusting systems and sophisticated filters.

Mr. Belev stated:

“The plant is highly innovative because it uses absolutely automated processes for waste processing without the involvement of a human hand. There are no combustion processes at the plant's processing lines, and wastewater complies with environmental directives. The first steps in creating a quality recyclate to be reused in industry is the proper separation of the different types of plastics and this is one of the main objectives of our plant. This is possible with the help of the optical separators in the form of streamlines developed by famous Scandinavian and German companies. Optical separators are widely used in other industries and can recognize the different types of products and their qualities. Plastics processing is part of the measures that will reduce the volume of discharged plastics in Europe and is a priority action for us. There is no danger of harmful emissions to the atmosphere because no combustion processes are carried out in the process. "- replied by answering a question from the Hall about the influence of the new plant on the environment.

A TV interview at the EUROPA TV was broadcasted emphasizing the importance of this Circular Economy project and the initiative of the Municipality.