What is your view of smart waste management?
No waste at all! In our company we see it as a raw material. The “smart” thing is not to bury waste but to recover it, because that brings us benefits – environmental, material, financial and many more. Our policy is to bring every element to recycling and to optimise every process so that we minimise the harmful impact on the environment. Everyone would like to live in a cleaner environment, and waste recovery is how that happens. Our role is to encourage people to recycle.
We build a good, sustainable model through our partnerships with retail outlets. There we set up collection points for packaging, which we then send back on its way into the economy. In some places we use a barter principle: in return for the amount of material you recycle you get a discount in the shop, free water and so on. At the heart of our concept is motivating people through a personal benefit.
What made your father, who founded a transport company in 1993, turn it into a family business providing waste services?
His vision of the future… the idea that “as long as there are people on this earth, there will be rubbish”, which means we will always have work. Joking aside, our company is one of the first private companies in the country in this sector. My father is a visionary, and I think that is what drove him.
How did you turn SORIKO into an innovator?
We have always been one. Right from the start, when the company specialised in municipal services, it had Western vehicles and waste containers that were not typical in Bulgaria at the time. And so, years later, we showcased and introduced underground container systems. We delivered the first underground container project in the town of Nova Zagora, thanks to Mr Nikolay Grozev, who as Mayor of Nova Zagora was the first to show interest. We strive to deliver high-quality services and to work in the interest of users, which in itself leads us to innovation. We are happy that our partners trust us and give us the opportunity to carry out our projects.
What matters most to you in international projects?
It varies. When it comes to the equipment we import and manufacture, it is the experience we gain. Most European countries are very advanced in waste management. Bulgaria has great potential to apply many of these technologies, but to some extent the current legislation makes that impossible. I am glad that we have nevertheless found a niche through which to introduce some of the innovations in waste management. As for waste collection and removal services, we had the opportunity to put our experience into practice in Lebanon. There we built a complete waste management strategy – from the point where waste is generated to the way it is processed. We also designed a project for the gradual introduction of a separate waste collection system. I hope that one day we will have the opportunity to carry out a project like that in Bulgaria as well. There is nothing better than doing something valuable for your own home.
What Western technologies do you use?
Over time we naturally expanded our activities. We began importing carefully selected products of proven quality and high standards. For almost ten years we have represented one of the best Italian manufacturers of bodies for municipal vehicles. The Bulgarian market is a difficult one, but over time and through the way we work we have proven ourselves a fair and reliable partner. Later we started our own production of underground containers based on a Western model. We keep growing – we recently acquired a new patent, and this year we will be presenting our new models.
What led you to manufacture the containers?
The need to bring down the final price. Making underground containers in Bulgaria costs half as much as importing them. Another reason is that it allows the product to be designed around the needs of our market and adapted to each customer. I am glad that we are also able to export to neighbouring regions.
How does the underground container system work, and what difference does it make?
There is actually nothing complicated about it – waste is collected in bins placed in shafts underground. This limits waste being scattered around the containers, bad smells, and access to the waste by people and animals, and it can also limit bulky waste being dumped in them. Placing them in busy pedestrian areas creates an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere while meeting the need for a high-capacity waste container.
The system offers a range of options – measuring the amount of waste each user throws away, monitoring how full the container is, restricted access and others, as needed. We offer a mobile app that lets users report a problem when one is flagged and follow how it is resolved. This way citizens become part of the monitoring too, and the app reduces administrative work. The models we offer do not require buying new vehicles to service them; instead we fit various accessories to standard refuse collection trucks. This keeps investment lower while making it possible to optimise staff costs, which is key to the financial result.
How do you define the value of your success as a leader?
I would not judge my own success as a leader, but I certainly know the value of success now. It takes time, sometimes disappointment, a lot of hard work, persistence and ambition. In my case, inspiration too – that is how I carry out most of my projects. I have learned for certain that success is not measured by a financial indicator. Success is the team I work with, the partnerships we have built, respect in the industry, and trust in my word. The fact that the services we provide help protect the environment motivates me every day. Giving value to society through your work is what makes it worthwhile.
What drives SORIKO in its mission for a cleaner Bulgaria?
“Let’s keep nature clean, because tomorrow depends on us!” – the company’s slogan, which sums up exactly what we strive for.
There is nothing more beautiful than someone striving in every way to make life more beautiful for others. That is why Forbes chose to present 40 outstanding women from different fields of Bulgarian business, who share their achievements and measure their success by what they have done for people and society.
FORBES BULGARIA magazine