Glavbolgarstroy officially opened the first construction waste recycling plant in Bulgaria

By Georgi Velev

Glavbolgarstroy opened the first construction waste recycling plant in Bulgaria and Southeast Europe, MOBICCON-PRO. The facility is unique in our latitudes and is essentially a mobile installation for the separation and reuse of various types of construction waste materials.

So far, MOBICCON-PRO has been mainly a research project, but thanks to "Glavbolgarstroy" and the partners in the European venture, it is already clear how key this project is in the field of construction, circular economy and innovation. The initiative was supported by EU funds in the amount of 9.5 million euros under the Horizon Europe program and is being implemented in partnership with Bulgarian and foreign universities and research institutes. The lead company in the project is Glavbolgastroy - a company with over 55 years of experience in the construction industry in our country and a well-known name in European and American circles.

The official start of the mobile installation was honored by the Bulgarian European Commissioner for Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Innovation and Growth Tomislav Donchev and the Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov, representatives of the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) as well as key experts from the Bulgarian construction industry.

The ribbon was cut by the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Glavbolgarstroy Holding, Eng. Kamen Peshov and the Vice President of the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC) Laurentiu Plosanu, who welcomed the guests and their partners participating in the pilot project for South-Eastern Europe. It is precisely such projects that receive the enormous support of Europe due to the high green goals set and the principles of the circular economy in construction in our country.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Innovation and Growth Tomislav Donchev welcomed the development of MOBICCON-PRO and expressed his support for finding sustainable solutions in the construction sector. The official part was also attended by the Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov, as well as the Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian Chamber of Builders Eng. Iliyan Terziev and the MEP Tsvetelina Penkova.

"We first saw such an installation about 20 years ago on the outskirts of Milan during the demolition of old buildings. We were surprised how the waste from the buildings was immediately recycled to be used again. And after a certain amount of skepticism, we wondered when we would have such an installation in Bulgaria," Eng. Kamen Peshov shared during the ceremony.

No more wasting resources, Europe supports innovation in construction

Deputy Prime Minister Donchev was impressed by the mobile installation and explained that smart societies do not waste resources and do not pollute their environment. "I would rather be able to load this facility 100 percent than fill the ravines with construction waste," said Donchev. According to him, it is the circular economy that allows us to turn waste into a resource, into a raw material, which, in addition to being a green topic, also means economic benefits. He recalled that in the last 15 years, our country has come a long way in terms of waste management and environmental protection. According to Donchev, we now live in times when all green topics are important.

European Commissioner for Start-ups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva explained to the participants in the ceremony that 151 million euros have already been invested in innovative solutions and projects under the Horizon Europe program. A new program is to be opened in June, which will be for 48 million euros to develop solutions for the secondary use of waste materials that have gone out of use. She also wished the participants in today's event to join the upcoming program in order to implement more such successful projects.

The Minister of Environment and Water, Manol Genov, also congratulated the participants on the successful and key project for the construction industry. According to him, it is necessary for municipalities and the state to better control the flows of construction waste, why this is an example of how to protect nature.

Recycling construction waste and its reuse is a direct response to one of the major challenges facing Europe, namely resource dependence. This was also stated by MEP Tsvetelina Penkova, who is Vice-Chair of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy in the EP. She also attended the opening of the innovative installation. According to Penkova, the main priority of the European institutions is the fair and sustainable transformation of the industry. And the MOBICCON-PRO project shows that the construction sector can be a platform for innovation, for technologies and for solutions for a sustainable, secure and fair future.

The Vice-President of the European Construction Industry Federation (FIEC), Laurentiu Ploșanu, highly appreciated the diligent work in favor of the circular economy in construction in our country.

From idea to implementation: what is the new mobile installation for recycling construction waste?

MOBICCON-PRO is actually a complex abbreviation of an international research project in the field of the circular economy in construction. It is also supported by the largest European public research and innovation funding program - Horizon Europe.

The project is being developed and implemented by a consortium of 10 European organizations, led by Glavbolgarstroy. Partners from France, Belgium, Denmark, Bulgaria and Serbia are participating in it, including leading universities, research, technological and sector organizations, local authorities, etc. and aims to develop, implement and demonstrate the effectiveness of a circular system solution for construction waste management and production of high-class recycled construction products and materials.

Its idea is to impose a comprehensive concept in the treatment of inert waste, using it as a resource and returning it back to the construction process and the market. The installation consists of various equipment, including prototypes and technological solutions for crushing, screening, precise separation and purification by flotation, which contribute to the production of high-quality secondary and innovative construction products and materials.

With its strong focus on innovation, MOBICCON-PRO promises to become a leading example of sustainable construction, supported by the principles of the circular economy.

The installation is currently positioned near Sofia, but due to the fact that it is mobile, it can also be located in other municipalities within a radius of 200 km. Interest in the project has so far been shown by Samokov, Kostinbrod. Slivnitsa, Montana and the Serbian city of Pirot. The Danish Technological Institute, the Belgian IDEA Consult, the Paris University CY, Cergy and the Bulgarian UACEG also have key participation in the project.