Natural environment

Romania has collected and recycled less than 20 per cent of all electrical and electronic waste in recent years and is at the bottom of a European table ranking, according to a study by the UN and Interpol.

The construction of Sofia's new integrated municipal waste management system has been completed and all of the equipment has been installed.

The waste treatment facility was built with EU funding provided under operational program Environment 2007-2013, according to a media statement of the Sofia Municipality.

The temporary bathing ban at the central beach of the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Lozenets remains in force.

Last week, health authorities imposed temporary prohibition after samples established high levels of Escherichia coli in the water.

Turkey, which hosts nearly 40 million tourists annually, has ranked second in the number of blue-flagged beach, an international label awarded to beaches which meet a high standard in multiple categories, including cleanliness. 

According to information by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, Turkey has increased the number of its blue flag beaches every year.   

WWF Bulgaria has implemented a project to release more than 50,000 baby sturgeons in the Danube to help bring the species back from the brink of extinction, AFP reported on Tuesday.

Workers from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accidentally triggered a massive release of toxic waste from an old gold mine that sent about three million gallons of polluted water into a Colorado river, turning it orange.
 

US President Barack Obama has unveiled a new plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants at home, international media outlets reported.

Whereas an earlier version of the plan required a 30% cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, compared to 2005 levels, the new version increases that target to 32%.

Bulgaria's Environment Minister Ivelina Vasileva will cut the ribbon on a new waste management system in the northwestern city of Vidin ON Tuesday afternoon.

The site was built with funding provided under operational program Environment 2007-2013, according to a media statement of the Environment Ministry.

The Bulgarian Managing Authority of operational program Environment 2014-2020 has launched the first grant-awarding procedure.

The procedure involves the designing and construction of compost plants for separate collection of biodegradable waste and green waste, according to a media statement on the website of the operational program.

US President Barack Obama will August 3 unveil what he called the "biggest, most important step we've ever taken" to fight climate change, a sensitive issue central to his legacy.