Waste from economic activity - 2023

Waste from economic activity - 2023

In 2023, the total waste generated was 94 238 564 tons (0.51% increase compared to 2022, when it was 93 762 412 tons). The non-hazardous waste was 78 275 339 tons or 83% and the hazardous waste was 15 963 225 tons or 17%.

The largest amount of total waste generated in 2023 - 79 491 036 (tons), was Mineral wastes. In second place were the Combustion wastes - in 2023 the amount was 7 092 548 (tons), and the least amount of metal waste generated was 9 tons of hazardous metal wastes.

In 2023, most waste was generated in the ‘Mining and quarrying’ section - 75 907 138 tons, or 81% of the total waste generated in the country. In second place was the section ‘Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply’ – 5 544 831 tons or 6%, and in third place - ‘Manufacturing’ section - 4 862 168 tons or 5%. The least waste was generated in the ‘Services’ sector - 983 392 tons or 1.04%.

The most waste handed over for disposal in 2023 was from combustion processes - 4 202 424 tons, and most exported from the country was the metal waste - 143 466 tons.

Methodological notes

The main objective of the statistical survey is to provide information to all stakeholders and the public about the generation, recovery and disposal of waste from economic activity in accordance with the requirements of the Regulation (EC) No. 2150/2002 on waste statistics.

In order to monitor the implementation of the waste policy, the European Community requires regular community statistics on the production and management of waste from businesses and households. This creates the basis for the control of compliance with the principles of maximizing the recovery and safe disposal. Statistical tools are needed to assess compliance with the principle of waste prevention and to establish a link between waste generation data and world, national and regional resource use catalogues. The statistical survey ‘Waste from economic activity’ was created and is conducted with the aim of satisfying the needs of statistical data on waste at the European and national level. The statistics collected allow the implementation of EU waste policy to be monitored and evaluated.

The statistical data on generated and treated waste, obtained as a result of the statistical survey, are used in the reporting under the Regulation (EC) No. 2150/2002 on waste statistics to the EC - DG Eurostat. The data are published annually, according to the Release Calendar, on the NSI website for public information. They are also provided to various institutions or organizations in the country for evaluations and analyses.

Data series can be found on NSI’s website: www.nsi.bg, section Enviroment/Data.

TABLE 1 GENERATED INDUSTRIAL AND HAZARDOUS WASTE BY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES TOTAL FOR THE COUNTRY FOR 2023 (TONS)
Sector - code Sector NACE - 2008 Economic Activity Genereted waste Passed for recovery Passed for disposal Exported out of the country
Non-Hazardous waste - total 78 275 339 5 391 252 5 301 190 393 466
A Agriculture, hunting and forestry. Fishing and aquaculture (01-03) 968 737 423 856 8 971 15
B Mining and quarrying (05-09) 60 341 664 49 275 747 -
C Manufacturing (10-33) 4 527 279 916 249 115 911 25 361
D Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply -35 5 542 396 768 000 4 183 135 1 562
E Water collection, treatment and supply. Sewerage. Remediation activities and other waste management services (36-39) 3 465 668 1 104 736 347 639 114 181
Water collection, treatment and supply 36 271 840 68 133 41 543 -
Sewerage 37 26 14 - -
Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery 38 3 102 172 1 019 289 245 457 114 181
Remediation activities and other waste management services 39 91 631 17 300 60 639 -
F Construction (41-43) 2 475 413 476 577 235 926 37 494
G-U Services (excel. wholesale of waste and scrap) (45-99) 954 181 547 824 61 221 100 674
Hazardous waste - total 15 963 225 83 583 38 565 5 281
A Agriculture, hunting and forestry. Fishing and aquaculture (01-03) 2 103 873 894 10
B Mining and quarrying (05-09) 15 565 474 651 502 -
C Manufacturing (10-33) 334 889 43 397 19 635 5 249
D Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply -35 2 435 1 209 6 -
E Water collection, treatment and supply. Sewerage. Remediation activities and other waste management services (36-39) 23 461 11 684 5 054 10
Water collection, treatment and supply 36 324 33 6 -
Sewerage 37 - - - -
Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery 38 19 499 8 698 5 040 10
Remediation activities and other waste management services 39 3 639 2 954 9 -
F Construction (41-43) 5 652 1 163 1 866 -
G-U Services (excel. wholesale of waste and scrap) (45-99) 29 211 12 923 5 555 2
"-" - no case.

TABLE 2 GENERATED INDUSTRIAL AND HAZARDOUS WASTE BY TYPE TOTAL FOR THE COUNTRY FOR 2023 (TONS)
Type of waste Generated waste Passed for recovery Passed for disposal Exported out of the country
Total hazardous and non-hazardous waste generated 94 238 564 4 358 415 4 987 062 284 556
Non-Hazardous waste 78 275 339 4 286 516 4 953 551 279 285
Acid, alkaline or saline wastes 613 80 100 -
Spent chemical catalysts 324 46 - 144
Chemical preparation wastes 2 861 963 676 0
Chemical deposits and residues 42 228 4 356 1 834 -
Industrial effluent sludges 348 661 10 642 2 757 -
Health care and biological wastes 4 616 725 2 726 26
Metallic wastes 1 312 177 615 622 9 647 143 466
Glass wastes 421 343 158 871 99 491
Paper and cardboard wastes 466 035 233 880 5 845 77 625
Rubber wastes 36 603 32 260 538 12
Plastic wastes 320 557 212 303 5 676 2 219
Wood wastes 408 842 120 908 2 359 245
Textile wastes 28 912 15 111 4 135 749
Discarded equipment 40 089 15 078 1 271 5 370
Discarded vehicles 7 375 2 918 3 -
Batteries and accumulators wastes 320 70 23 1
Animal and vegetal wastes (excluding animal waste of food preparation and products; and excluding animal faeces, urine and manure) 433 923 99 113 12 343 4 853
Animal waste of food preparation and products 20 492 4 643 9 424 1 918
Animal faeces, urine and manure 846 442 412 606 4 314 -
Household and similar wastes 160 492 25 774 23 765 219
Mixed and undifferentiated materials 20 445 8 385 6 474 6
Sorting residues 1 725 695 298 131 332 858 938
Common sludges (excluding dredging spoils) 279 350 75 051 11 975 5
Dredging spoils 451 541 151 860 59 856 36 456
Mineral wastes (excluding combustion wastes, contaminated soils and polluted dredging spoils) 63 891 830 631 102 263 723 297
Combustion waste 6 997 165 1 154 873 4 191 130 4 245
Solidified, stabilised or vitrified waste 6 407 1 144 - -
Non-Hazardous waste 15 963 225 71 899 33 511 5 271
Spent solvents 187 113 31 -
Acid, alkaline or saline wastes 29 242 1 188 39 656
Used oils 22 959 16 767 931 17
Spent chemical catalysts 4 725 0 - 4 492
Chemical preparation wastes 5 320 3 204 689 16
Chemical deposits and residues 18 794 13 522 1 591 -
Industrial effluent sludges 110 090 7 379 9 516 49
Health care and bioloaical wastes 9 551 410 5 433 -
Metallic wastes 9 7 - -
Glass wastes 133 101 - -
Wood wastes 194 129 1 -
Waste containing PCB 65 11 17 3
Discarded equipment 1 891 1 037 24 -
Discarded vehicles 6 835 3 200 48 -
Batteries and accumulators wastes 6 637 3 636 35 1
Mixed and undifferentiated materials 875 698 62 -
Sorting residues 49 923 4 739 1 890 37
Mineral wastes (excluding combustion wastes, contaminated soils and polluted dredging spoils) 15 599 206 1 401 1 553 -
Combustion wastes 95 383 14 108 11 294 -
Contaminated soils and polluted dredqinq spoils 1 205 250 355 -
Solidified, stabilised or vitrified wastes - - - -
"-" - no case.

Detailed data can be found on the website of NSI at
Environment