A new report by Zero Waste Europe and its Bulgaria-based member Za Zemiata, an environmental NGO, has found large discrepancies between Eurostat’s recycling figures for Bulgaria and data reports from local municipalities. While Eurostat finds Bulgaria’s packaging waste recycling performance to be above the EU average, Za Zemiata highlights its short falls.According to Eurostat’s latest statistics, Bulgaria’s packaging waste recycling rate stood at 50.6% in 2019, placing it above the EU average. However, data from Za Zemiata suggests that many municipalities fall short of the EU’s 50% recycling target for municipal solid waste. Over half, 132 municipalities, reported recycling rates below 10% in 2019, and 43 recorded “practically zero.”
