site.btaBulgaria Recycles 31.5% of Household Waste, Less than EU Average of 47.4% - Study

Bulgaria generates 129.7 million tonnes of waste annually, which puts the country in one of the first places in the EU in terms of waste per capita and per unit of GDP according to data for 2018, the Branch Chamber of Woodworking and Furniture Industry (BCWFI) said. The country despite having a relatively well-developed recycling industry has relatively low household waste recycling rates, 31.5% according to 2018 data, compared to an EU average of 47.4%.

According to the Chamber, this poses a risk of non-compliance with the targets for preparing for reuse and recycling of household and other similar waste. Separately collected and submitted for recycling household waste in 202 municipalities in the country amounts to less than 5% according to the National Statistical Institute (NSI). More than 60% of household waste in Bulgaria is landfilled, which according to the set targets should be reduced to 10% by 2035.

EU objectives

In the context of the EU Green Deal, the EU Forest Strategy for 2030, and the EU circular economy action plan, waste management is becoming increasingly important. According to the BCWFI, following Bulgaria's Circular Economy Transition Strategy 2021 - 2027, the country should make the circular economy a long-term development policy priority in order to create more sustainable production and consumption patterns, increase resource productivity and connectivity in the economy. This would help waste be seen as a resource and materials get retained in production for as long as possible.

What happens to wood waste?

Bulgaria generates between 500,000 and 1 million tonnes of wood waste annually, according to a study conducted in 2020. This waste should be managed according to the waste management hierarchy - reduce, reuse, recycle. Currently, much of this waste is not covered by waste collection systems, the Chamber points out.

What is the law?

Bulgaria's legislation is synchronized with the EU. It is the duty of any person or entity whose activities generate waste to take the necessary measures to recover it in accordance with the waste management hierarchy.

What does the industry do?

It invests in photovoltaic parks for its own needs. Similar good policies related to the circular economy are applied by companies such as Kronospan Bulgaria, which has invested over BGN 600 million in a plant producing low-density and medium-density fibreboard. This gives them the possibility of high-quality recycling of wood waste, incorporating it into particleboard and producing energy from biomass. Companies such as Kastamonu Bulgaria, JAF Bulgaria, Kasto Chairs also implement comprehensive wood waste recovery and recycling.