Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria volunteers cleaned a 1.5 km stretch of the Perlovska River

The company’s My Green City initiative will continue with tree-planting activities

Employees of Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria cleaned the riverbed and banks of the Perlovska River in Sofia’s South Park as part of the 19th edition of the My Green City volunteering, educational and environmental campaign. They were joined by representatives of The Collective Foundation, which organizes the annual Rivers of Sofia festival.

Some of the volunteers covered a 1.5-km stretch of the Perlovska River, removing accumulated waste and branches from the water. The other participants cleaned the riverbanks and the areas around the two lakes in South Park near Louis Ayer Street. Dozens of bags of textile, plastic, paper, glass and metal waste were collected and handed over to ECOPACK Bulgaria for recycling. As a result, Sofia residents will be able to enjoy a cleaner Perlovska River and to protect the rich biodiversity of South Park, which is home to more than 65 bird species. Of these, 29 are protected and 2 are listed in Bulgaria’s Red Data Book.

"For 19 consecutive years, My Green City has brought together employees, partners and local communities around a shared purpose. Through volunteering and collaboration, we support initiatives that matter locally and help create positive impact in the places where we live and work. This reflects our ambition to be a trusted Neighbour of Choice and demonstrates the value of collective action in supporting cleaner and greener communities," said Liliya Velinova, Customer and Community Partnerships Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria.

“We would like to thank all the My Green City volunteers who have joined us for the second year in a row to clean up the area around the Perlovska River in South Park. This seemingly small urban river plays an important role in Sofia’s biodiversity, climate and the future of the city’s urban development. That is why caring for it and keeping it clean matters so much,” said Martin Yankov, founder of the Rivers of Sofia initiative.

The My Green City initiative is implemented in line with Coca-Cola HBC’s renewed sustainability commitments and goals, brought together under Mission Refresh. This autumn, the initiative will continue with tree-planting activities across the country.

As part of previous editions, the Coca-Cola team in Bulgaria has helped green, clean and improve numerous natural areas, forests and parks. Each year, the campaign identifies locations where the volunteers’ efforts are needed and can make a meaningful contribution to environmental protection, as well as to improving local environmental conditions and natural resources.

Over the past five editions alone, from 2022 to the present day, volunteers have collected more than 11 tons of household and separately collected waste from dozens of polluted sites across Bulgaria, cleaned more than 1,550 decares of polluted areas around bodies of water, planted hundreds of deciduous and coniferous trees in Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas and Kostinbrod, and supported numerous community initiatives.