How to report illegal dumping in Bulgaria

An effective illegal-dumping report in Bulgaria is a location package, not simply a photograph of rubbish. Give the authority coordinates, access instructions, the visible waste types, the date and enough scale to distinguish ten bags from ten truckloads.

The first destination is usually the municipality. Bulgaria's Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) states that municipal mayors are responsible for preventing unauthorised disposal and organising the cleanup of illegal dumps. The relevant Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water (RIEW) is the next route when pollution affects water, protected land, multiple municipalities, or a local report produces no visible response.

Collect evidence without disturbing the site#

Do not open containers, handle syringes, move asbestos-like sheets or climb onto an unstable pile for a better photograph. Capture labels from a safe distance only. If there is fire, active chemical leakage or immediate danger to people, use the emergency route rather than waiting on an ordinary waste form.

Send it to the right level#

Municipality#

Start with the municipality when the material is on municipal land, beside a local road, in a neighbourhood or at a commonly used public place. Search the official municipal website for its signal, inspectorate, ecology or waste contact. Keep the submission confirmation or incoming reference number.

Regional environmental inspectorate#

Contact the RIEW for the site when the dump may affect a river or wetland, lies in protected territory, appears hazardous, crosses municipal boundaries, or persists after a documented municipal report. MOEW publishes the regional structure and inspection news, which shows how reports can lead to joint inspections and formal cleanup instructions.

Road or protected-area manager#

National-road verges may involve the Road Infrastructure Agency. A national park, nature park or reserve can have its own directorate and visitor rules. Reporting to the land manager as well as the municipality reduces the chance that each assumes the other owns the problem.

Make the location independently findable#

Street addresses often fail outside towns. Drop a pin, add a short approach description—“east side of the gravel track, 300 m after the bridge”—and include a photograph facing back toward a recognisable junction. Save the original image files because they retain more detail than screenshots sent through messaging apps.

You can also record the dumping location publicly on Garbamons. Choose the visible waste types, difficulty and effort honestly. A public pin helps local people avoid duplicating reports and gives future cleaners a shared reference, but it does not replace the official signal for hazardous or large-scale material.

Follow up cleanly#

Allow the stated response period, then reply on the same thread with the reference number. Ask whether the site was inspected, which body is responsible, and whether a removal date or enforcement action exists. If the pile grows, add dated photographs rather than sending an unrelated new complaint.

After removal, record the result. Update the community map or mark the place cleaned with proof media so volunteers do not travel to a job that no longer exists. If dumping returns, the before-and-after sequence demonstrates recurrence far better than a single image.

A report template#

On [date] I observed unauthorised waste at [coordinates and access description]. The visible material appears to include [types], covering approximately [dimensions or effort]. It is [distance] from [water/protected area/road/home]. Photographs of the site and approach are attached. Please confirm the incoming reference number, responsible authority and whether an inspection is planned.

Keep the language factual. Do not name an alleged dumper publicly unless the evidence is direct and you are providing it privately to the competent authority.

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