Environmental Aspects Of The Waste Management Technologies In Bulgaria And EU

This paper attempts to compare the applied waste management practices in Bulgaria and EU countries on the basis of the official Eurostat and National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) statistics over a 10 - years period of full Bulgaria membership in the Union. The recycling of MSW as material is the most important indicator for achieving a cyclical (circular) economy with full useful recycling of all waste - a goal the EU has set itself to achieve in the next decadesBulgaria is lagging behind in the application of industrial technologies for thermal processing of waste with energy production. In conclusion, the trends and results of the MSW management policies in Bulgaria are critically analyzed, as well as the potential economic and environmental benefits missed. The special importance of the education of the population and institutions for the negative impact of the landfilled waste on the environment and human health is emphasized.