Bulgaria Aims to Boost Recycling with Deposit Return System

Measured by gross domestic product per capita, Bulgaria is the economically weakest country in the European Union. However, the south-eastern European country is steadily catching up, recording economic growth of 3.4 per cent in 2024 and 2.4 per cent in 2025. For 2026, the European Commission expects real GDP growth of 2.5 per cent. This would be the fifth-highest rate in the EU. The government, which has been in office since May 2026, has also made economic policy a priority. Reforms are intended to improve the business environment, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. The packaging industry, which supplies services and products to almost every industrial sector, could benefit from these developments.

Gradual Growth in a Small Market

With a population of around 6.4 million, Bulgaria’s packaging market is comparatively small. Rising purchasing power is nevertheless increasing demand for consumer goods and industrial products, and consequently for the packaging solutions they require.

Comprehensive statistics on the packaging market are scarce. However, Bulgaria’s National Statistical Institute, NSI, reported that a total of 458,236 tonnes of packaging were placed on the market in 2024. By material category, this comprised 140,191 tonnes of paper and cardboard, 139,807 tonnes of plastic, 89,373 tonnes of glass, 53,136 tonnes of wood, 24,332 tonnes of metal and 11,398 tonnes of other materials.

According to market research provider 6Wresearch, imports of packaging materials also increased during this period. The analysts identify Turkey, Germany, Greece, Poland and Romania as the most important supplier countries. The import figures indicate that Bulgaria is heavily dependent on international trading partners for packaging. Although import volumes declined slightly between 2023 and 2024, the compound annual growth rate of 6.9 per cent between 2020 and 2024 points to expanding demand.

Scope for Improvement in Recycling

In Eurostat’s latest EU comparison, Bulgaria is among the countries reporting particularly low volumes of packaging waste. Based on data from 2022, the statistical office recorded 80.9 kilograms of packaging waste per inhabitant. Bulgaria was therefore at the lower end of the EU range, while the EU average stood at 177.8 kilograms per inhabitant in 2023.

According to Eurostat, Bulgaria also differs from the broader EU pattern in terms of its material composition. Paper and cardboard represented the largest packaging waste stream in 26 of the 27 EU countries, with Bulgaria the sole exception. There, plastic accounted for 28.4 per cent, slightly ahead of paper and cardboard at 25.5 per cent, again based on 2022 data.

Bulgaria also ranks near the bottom of the EU in terms of the amount of packaging waste recycled per inhabitant. Eurostat reported 47.2 kilograms of recycled packaging waste per inhabitant in 2022. The EU average was 120.0 kilograms per inhabitant in 2023. The overall recycling rate for packaging waste was 58 per cent, while the rate for plastic packaging waste stood at 39.5 per cent.

These figures should, however, be interpreted with caution. In its 2025 country profile for Bulgaria, the European Environment Agency, EEA, points to inconsistencies in municipal waste data and discrepancies in packaging waste data. The EEA also refers to the possible under-reporting of packaging placed on the market and identifies a need to improve data quality management. As a result, the reported recycling rates may present a more favourable picture than the actual performance of the system would suggest.

For comparison, the Ministry of Environment puts Bulgaria’s municipal recycling rate for household waste at below 17 per cent, compared with an EU average of around 48 per cent. At the same time, national targets require more than 65 per cent of waste to be recycled by 2035. In this context, the ministry points to structural shortcomings in waste management. More than 50 per cent of waste is still sent to landfill, while Bulgaria must reduce this proportion to 10 per cent by 2035.

Deposit Return System for Beverage Packaging

To achieve higher recycling rates and a more comprehensive circular economy for packaging, Bulgaria is planning, among other measures, a deposit return system for beverage containers. In April 2026, the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment published a corresponding draft amendment to the Waste Management Act. The amendment is intended to establish a legal framework for the introduction and operation of a national deposit return system for beverage packaging.

The draft is expected to regulate the role of a national system operator, the rights and obligations of the parties involved, the collection and reimbursement of deposits, and requirements relating to reporting, supervision and traceability. The aim is to improve the separate collection of beverage packaging and establish a stable supply of high-quality recyclable materials.

The Bulgarian newspaper Sega reported that beverages sold in plastic bottles or metal containers would be subject to a separately stated deposit, which would be refunded when the packaging is returned. The newspaper also reported that glass bottles could be included at a later stage.

In a statement issued in June 2026, the Ministry of Environment described the deposit return system as one of the key instruments for improving separate collection and increasing recycling rates in Bulgaria.