Chemicals

The general aim of the project is to contribute for raising public awareness, information and engagement about the environmental and human health problems, caused by POPs (generated in the process of incineration), through a national information campaign Stop the Silent Invaders and through creating of a potential for multiplying the effect of the campaign as a result of the trainings and capacity building in this area for strategic target groups (NGOs, media, local authorities). Concrete aims of the project 1) Creating conditions for multiplying the effect of the information campaign for Persistent organic Polluters (POPs) among the wide public through building capacity for working on the problems of POPs in strategic target groups: representatives of NGOs (ecological, youth, Roma, business and users associations), of local authorities, as well as representatives of local and regional media. These key groups will improve their knowledge and their capacity for working on the issues of POPs as a result of specialized training (POPs nature and effect, Stockholm Convention, National Action Plan for POPs management, status at present in Bulgaria, etc.) with a parallel on-line information campaign. 2) Lowering of POP levels through training and advocacy for certain practices implementation of a demonstration project separate collection of PVC waste and prevention of generating POPs, which are released in the process of their burning. 3) Improving public participation on POPs Experts from civil sector, media and governmental agencies to get acquainted with the National Action Plan for POPs management, the problematic areas in it and to make comments and suggestions on them, to follow the work on the plan etc. NGO to develop common strategy for joint work on the POPs problems. Activities: The project of BlueLink will be implemented in close co-operation and co-ordination with the project of Missionis NGO, which is also targeted at POPs and supported by the SGP of GEF. BlueLink and their partners will be responsible for the following activities: 1. Press conference in Varna; 2) Design of a web page; 3) Online campaign; 4) Design and publication of informational materials about POPs and promotional materials about the campaign and the pilot project; 5) Series of training seminars for strategic target groups (one national seminar for NGOs, two seminars for representatives of local authorities from South and Northern Bulgaria, one seminar for local and regional media for the Central and East regions); 6) Pilot project separate collection of PVC waste in the regions of Sofia and Varna; 7) Two seminars with representatives of SMEs in relation with the pilot project; 8) Model workshop/exercise with young people from Varna region 9) Working meeting of NGOs for developing of a strategy for working on the problems of POPs; 10) National round table on POPs issues.

Bulgaria