site.btaSome 4.9% of Materials in Bulgaria Come from Recycling, 6th Lowest Rate in EU

Some 4.9% of materials used in Bulgaria in 2023 came from recycled materials, show Eurostat data published on Wednesday. The country recorded the sixth lowest rate in the European Union (EU) after Lithuania (3.9%), Portugal (2.8%), Finland (2.4%), Ireland (2.3%) and Romania (1.3%). 

The EU average rate was 11.8%. Compared with 2022, the circularity rate increased by 0.3 percentage points (pp), making it the highest share recorded so far. 

The highest rate was recorded in the Netherlands (30.6%), followed by Italy (20.8%) and Malta (19.8%). 

When assessing the types of materials, the circularity rate at EU level was highest for metal ores with 24.7% (+2.2 pp compared with 2022), followed by non-metallic minerals with 13.6% (+0.3 pp), biomass 10.1% (+0.7 pp) and fossil energy materials/carriers with 3.4% (+0.6 pp).

The Circular economy action plan from 2020 aims to double the EU’s circular material use rate by 2030 to reach 23.2%.