site.btaUN Environmental Report Says Bulgaria Has Reduced Household Waste, Air Pollution Considerably

Sofia, July 21 (BTA) - Bulgaria has reduced household waste generation considerably in recent years, the Ministry of Environment and Water said, quoting a United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) report. This is the Third Environmental Performance Review of Bulgaria covering the period 2007-2015. The aim was to assess the performance following the second review in 1999-2000.

According to the performance review, the population already covered amounts to 99.6 per cent. The report also marks progress in the development and modernization of wastewater treatment facilities. Biodiversity is another criterion by which Bulgaria has achieved high marks. In ten years the number of protected areas has increased by 43 per cent compared to 2004, a result recorded in 2014. The area of protected territories has increased by 25.56 per cent over the same period.

The report also registers that air quality monitoring has been modernised. A system for noise monitoring has also been operationalized. Remarkable progress has also been made in the use of renewables, whose share reached 16.3 per cent in 2012, meeting the target by at least 16 per cent in 2020.

The report also maps out policy making framework recommendations to improve management of the environment, a broader application of financial instruments, improving monitoring, water management, waste management, air quality and biodiversity.