Units at the Ministry of the Environment and Water (MOEW) - the Regional Inspectorates for Environment and Water (RIEWs), will require all municipalities within the territory controlled to submit action plans for dealing with waste-contamination in populated areas and beyond. The initiative is also a continuation of one of the priority activities in recent months for the MOEW team in respect to waste pollution. The regional inspectorates respond to signals received from citizens, but the strengthened measures that are currently being undertaken are aimed at achieving sustainable results and stopping the disposal of waste outside designated sites.

The regional structures will assist local governments. To this end, meetings are already being held with regional governors, mayors, municipal councilors, and representatives of other institutions.

The municipal mayors have been instructed to conduct checks for the presence of areas with waste pollution on the territory of their municipality, as well as to organize a comprehensive survey of riverbeds adjacent to urbanized territories. If contamination is found, action must be taken to remove it.

The cleanings must be carried out by the end of March, after which the regional inspectorates will carry out inspections to establish the results of the measures applied.

The inspectorates will require information from all municipal authorities, as well as from the directors of the regional road administrations in the country to indicate the sections that are most often recognized as “points” for waste disposal. They should provide short-, medium- and long-term measures, including specific activities to solve problems with waste in settlements.

On the basis of the information received, the RIEWs’ experts will prepare a "map". This information will be used by the eco-inspection teams, which will also carry out subsequent inspections of the identified locations. The goal is for them to regularly check whether the given prescriptions are being fulfilled, and if necessary, take administrative-punitive actions, as provided in the Waste Management Act, against the responsible individuals.

The enhanced inspections are part of the overall waste management policy of the MOEW, focusing on the problem of dumping waste in unregulated sites. Preventive action is the starting point, effective control is key, continuous action is absolutely necessary to ensure the protection of the environment by stopping the effects of waste pollution.

In this regard, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications appeals to citizens to be responsible towards the environment by disposing of their waste only at permitted places. And in case they come across contaminated areas, to report their location to the relevant municipality or RIEW.