Circular material use rate

The circular material use rate for Bulgaria’s economy is increasing, from 4% in 2019 to 4.9% in 2023, with a maximum of 5.8% in 2020; this is due to increased waste recovery and an increase in the recycling of combustion waste. This usage rate is considerably lower than the EU average and shows some fluctuations over a longer period. The higher circularity rate achieved demonstrates greater secondary material use than raw material use, thus reducing the environmental impact of primary material extraction. However, significant progress is still needed to transform the linear economy model into a circular model. Bulgaria’s efforts are therefore focused on the expansion of separate collection systems, which in turn is leading to an increase in circular material use. Legislation changes in recent years were introduced in order to minimise single-use products and to promote the use of reusable products.