Medical waste scandal and a new futures unit in Shumen

The Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water (RIOSV) has issued enforcement measures against the owner of Shumen's regional waste depot after hospital waste was found mixed with ordinary refuse in the Divdyadovo district.

Inspectors carried out checks at the depot following social media reports of improperly discarded medical waste. They discovered black bin bags containing gauze, nappies, medical masks, and syringe bottles (without needles), all of which had been autoclaved but were being accepted without proper visual checks at the gate.

Footage from the depot's CCTV system showed that vehicles entering the site were not consistently inspected, breaching conditions in the depot's integrated permit. RIOSV confirmed that while the waste had undergone preliminary autoclave treatment by the Multi-Profile Hospital for Active Treatment (MBAL) in Shumen, the depot's staff failed to enforce continuous visual controls. Administrative penalties under the Environmental Protection Act will follow.

Shumen Municipality and the Shumen Technology Institute (SiT) are creating a Department of the Future, a virtual strategic centre designed to identify and develop long-term economic and social opportunities for the city.

The unit will function as an analytical hub supported by an advisory council of experts from academia, business, technology and public policy. Its mission: to prepare Shumen for the coming decades by connecting education, industry and local government. The platform will assemble small, agile research teams to explore high-potential initiatives in education, innovation, entrepreneurship, wellbeing and institutional resilience.

The department will operate with backing from Sofia Tech Park and in alignment with forward-looking initiatives such as Visoko Darvo. Mayor's office statements describe the project as part of efforts to ensure Shumen can offer the quality of life and career prospects that will persuade young people to return to, or remain in, the city. The goal is not to wait for the future but to prepare for it now.