site.btaBulgaria Recycles Just 38% of Household Waste

Bulgaria generates 129.7 million tonnes of waste, according to available data for 2018, the Bulgarian Branch Chamber of Woodworking and Furniture Industry (BBCWFI) said on Wednesday. The country has relatively low levels of household waste recycling. Currently, only 38% are recycled and according to the EU targets the amount should reach at least 55% after 2025.

The use of furniture in the EU generates 11 million tonnes of waste every year, but only 10% of this is actually recycled due to the still underdeveloped collection system for various types of unusable household products and materials, the Chamber said.

Businesses set an example

The woodworking and furniture sectors have considerable experience with recycling waste. "According to the BBCWFI, a large number of member companies are making use of their waste. Some of them have already achieved the EU's 2050 targets for zero waste production. Separately, companies in the sector recycle wood waste generated by households, industry, construction and packaging, collecting it absolutely free of charge and at their own expense," said expert Eng. Peter Dishkov, quoted in the Chamber's press release. This helps municipalities to reduce landfilling and prevents environmental pollution from unregulated incineration or dumping in the countryside. It is also a step forward for Bulgaria in meeting the waste recovery targets set by the EU, the BBCWFI points out. 

EU requirements

According to the European Union requirements set out in the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), Bulgaria must recycle at least 55% of its municipal waste after 2025. In practice, according to the Chamber, this means that the country needs stricter rules for separate collection. It is important for municipalities to improve their systems so that citizens can conveniently and easily drop off household waste at designated locations.

Recycling is not only about environmental considerations, but also has its legal basis. The quicker Bulgaria adapts and meets the targets set by the EU, the less the country will pay in fines, the BBCWFI points out.

Measures

The Chamber says that one of Bulgaria's main objectives should be to reduce landfill, and the organisation reminds that the EU insists on the same - less rubbish going to landfill. It would also be good to introduce greater penalties for unregulated dumping, currently fines in Bulgaria reach up to BGN 10,000.

Everyone can help Bulgaria achieve its landfill reduction targets by sorting plastics, glass, paper and organic waste properly, the organisation reminds. It is important to choose products with minimal packaging or those made from recycled materials. Public collection points for electronics and batteries should be used, the Branch notes.

There is a positive trend for more municipalities to set up separate collection systems, which will allow subsequent recycling of waste. Unfortunately, citizens are still not active enough, which is why the container for mixed household waste, which should be the least used, is still the bulkiest, the BBCWFI points out.

In the second half of March, the Bulgarian company TexCycle reported that more than 100,000 tonnes of textile waste are thrown away annually in Bulgaria, only about 7,000 of them are collected separately. The lack of an effective national textile recovery system remains a serious problem, and at the moment this is not mandatory and relies on the environmental culture and awareness of citizens and voluntary initiatives from the business sector. The development of a more structured and efficient system could contribute to a more sustainable management of textile resources, the company said at the time.