Bulgaria Ranks Among EU’s Top Waste Producers Per Capita

Jerusalem, 29 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Luxembourg (BTA) – In 2024, an average of 2,881 kg of waste per capita was generated in Bulgaria , not including the large amounts of mineral waste from the mining industry, quarries and construction, according to the latest data from the European statistical office Eurostat, which places the country among the three leading countries in the European Union.

Each EU resident generated an average of 1,697 kg in 2024. The most waste per capita was generated in Estonia – 4,703 kg, followed by Belgium with 3,157 kg and Bulgaria – with 2,881 kg. The least amounts were in Malta – 1,092 kg, Ireland – 1,199 kg, and Slovenia – 1,254 kg.

In total, 765 million tonnes of waste were generated in the EU in 2024, excluding large amounts of mineral waste. This represents 35 percent of all waste generated in the Union, which reaches 2.196 billion tonnes.

Over the past two decades, the amount of waste in the EU, excluding large mineral waste, has decreased by 1.9 percent compared to 2004, when 779.5 million tons were recorded.

Bulgaria landfills over 90 percent of its waste.

In 2024, 42% of the waste treated in the EU was recycled. A total of 61.8% underwent recovery operations, including recycling, backfilling and incineration with energy recovery.

Recycling accounted for 42 percent of all treated waste, landfilling 13.3 percent, and incineration with energy recovery 6.5 percent. Another 37.8 percent was landfilled, and 0.4 percent was incinerated without energy recovery.

In Bulgaria, landfilling is the predominant method of waste treatment – 91.4 percent. In this indicator, the country ranks first in the EU, followed by Finland with 84.4 percent and Sweden with 75.1 percent.

In 12 EU countries, more than half of the waste treated was recycled. The highest share was recorded in Italy – 87.3 percent, Hungary – 77.1 percent, and Slovakia – 69.8 percent.

In Slovenia, 67.8 percent of waste was used to fill excavations or for engineering and landscaping activities, while in Ireland the share was 45.2 percent.

Incineration with energy recovery is among the less commonly used methods in the EU, but in Denmark it accounts for 27 percent of treated waste and in Lithuania – 19.4 percent.