Survey Shows 44% of Bulgarians Regularly Separate Their Waste as New Recycling Campaign Launches

A new national campaign promoting separate waste collection has been launched in Bulgaria, supported by the country’s four packaging recovery organizations. The initiative aims to raise public awareness about the importance of recycling and to encourage more citizens to dispose of their waste properly. Alongside the campaign, a nationwide survey was conducted to assess how informed and motivated Bulgarians are when it comes to separating their household waste.

According to the survey results, 44 percent of respondents said they regularly collect their waste separately, 36 percent do so occasionally, while 20 percent never separate their garbage. These findings prompted the launch of the campaign titled “You Buy. You Use. You Recycle,” which seeks to emphasize the environmental and economic benefits of separate waste collection.

Petya Radeva from “Ecobulpak” explained in an interview for NOVA NEWS that one of the biggest misconceptions among citizens is that all recycling containers are emptied into the same truck. She categorically denied this, clarifying that each type of container - yellow for plastic and metal, blue for paper, and green for glass - is serviced by a different vehicle, ensuring that the materials remain separated throughout the process.

Radeva also offered practical advice for households. She noted that it is not necessary to use multiple bins at home: separate bags are sufficient as long as the contents are properly sorted before disposal. She recommended emptying packaging before throwing it away, crushing plastic bottles, and flattening paper boxes to reduce the volume and make room for more waste in the containers.

Currently, the four recovery organizations operating in Bulgaria cover about 200 municipalities across the country. Information on the exact locations of recycling containers is available on their official websites. The platform https://reciklirai.bg/ also provides a detailed map showing which organization operates in each municipality and the types of containers available.

The campaign highlights several key benefits of recycling: it conserves natural resources, saves water and electricity, transforms waste into new packaging and products, and protects the environment. Radeva pointed out that in some Sofia districts, such as Lyulin and Krasna Polyana, residents are already actively separating their waste and using the containers correctly, demonstrating that good recycling habits can be achieved with consistent public engagement and proper infrastructure.