site.bta55% of Bulgarians Consider Polluter Pays Principle Fairer in Setting Household Waste Fee

More than half of Bulgarians – 55% - consider the polluter pays principle in setting the household waste fee fairer, according to a nationally representative survey, carried out by the Trend polling agency. The findings were presented during the annual meeting of municipalities in the Black Sea resort of Albena, organized by the National Association of Municipalities of the Republic of Bulgaria. 

Another 16% believe that this principle is not fair, while the remaining 29% said they could not say. 

Interestingly, nearly 60% of those who took part in the survey did not know that the household waste fee would be set on the "polluter pays" principle. Some 29% of respondents did not know what it implied, only 4% said they were familiar.

In response to a question about which of the ways of setting the household waste fee based on the amount generated by households is fairer and more realistic to introduce, 50% of respondents said it was the number of people living in the household. Some 14% of respondents said it should be individual containers for each household. 

In the survey, 30% thought that their household waste fee would decrease if charging based on the amount of household waste generated was introduced. Some 25% of respondents thought the charge would increase, while 26% did not expect any change. 

In the survey, 36% of people thought that the household waste fee their household pays was fair and another 38% thought it was high. Some 4% of respondents thought the charge is low.

The answers to the question whether or not separate waste collection is important are interesting. For 32% of the respondents separate waste collection is very important, and for 44% it is rather important. 

In the survey, 53% indicated that they have coloured containers for separate waste collection, with the highest proportion in the capital, regional cities and some of the smaller settlements, and the lowest in the villages.

Survey data show that 72% of households dispose of their waste in a common container and 24% in an individual bin. Some 3% do not have containers for waste disposal.