1. Informal Sector Role in the Recyclable
Waste Collection in Bulgaria
Nikola Doychinov
Waste Management Consultant

2. Content
1. Recycling and Recovery targets
2. Collection of recyclable materials
3. Existing practices for recyclable waste collection
and recycling
• Separate waste collection
• Informal sector collection (scavengers)
4. Conclusions

3. Bulgaria: Facts and Figures
•• Capital:Capital: SofiaSofia
•• Area:Area: 111111,000 km²,000 km²
•• Population:Population: 77..6868 millionmillion
•• GGDDP 200P 20066:: 24.724.7 billion €billion €
((33,,22220 € per capita)0 € per capita)
•• Total Waste Generation:Total Waste Generation: 240240 million tonsmillion tons
•• MunicipalMunicipal waste (MSW):waste (MSW): 3.3.44 million tonsmillion tons
((448448 kg/cap.a)kg/cap.a)
•• Packaging waste:Packaging waste: 0.440.44 million tonsmillion tons
((57.357.3 kg/cap.a)kg/cap.a)

4. Recycling and Recovery Targets
Obliged persons: Producers and importers of packed goods
Shared responsibility of the industry and the municipalities in organization
and implementation of separate collection
TARGETS 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
RECOVERY 25% 35% 39% 42% 46% 48% 50% 53% 56% 60%
RECYCLING 34% 38% 42% 45% 47% 49% 52% 54,9% 55%
Plastics 8% 12% 14,5% 17% 19% 20% 22% 22,5% 22,5%
Glass 26% 33% 40% 46% 51% 55% 59,6% 60% 60%
Paper&cardboard 15% 15% 60% 60% 60% 60% 60% 60% 60%
Metals 15% 15% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%
Wood 15% 15% 15% 15% 15% 15% 15%

5. Existing Waste Management
Situation
• 10% of the population is not
served by systems for collection
of municipal waste;
• Landfilling is the only applicable
waste disposal option;
• Need of significant investments
in waste management
infrastructure;
• Trend for increasing of
municipal waste collection costs
because of new regional
disposal facilities (higher
transport distances);
• Municipal waste taxes do not
depend on volume and/or
amount of waste generated;
• Lack of sufficient and reliable
information about waste
generation and composition.

6. Collection of Recyclable Materials
• Municipalities still are not deeply
engaged with separate collection
initiatives;
• Collection of significant amounts
recyclable waste from the waste
containers and from the landfills;
• Low purchasing power of population =
low consumption;
• Low density of population;
• Depreciated equipment and
significant share of the manual
handling of waste;
• Lack of experience and public
awareness for implementation of
separate collection.

7. Achievement of Recovery and
Recycling Targets
Collection Transport Sorting, pre-
treatment
Recycling and
recovery
Plastic bags
Containers
Buy Back
Centers
Industrial and
commercial
packaging
Household
Packaging Separate
Collection

8. •• Cooperation AgreementCooperation Agreement
signed between Ministry of
Environment and Packaging
Recovery Organizations
•• Coverage of 6.2Coverage of 6.2 mlnmln..
residentsresidents by 31.12.2008
• 1 set of containers per 250 ÷
550 residents
•• 5151 mlnmln EUR investmentsEUR investments in
separate waste collection in
2008/2009
• At least 1 EUR per resident
spent for awareness raising
•• Restrictions on buy backRestrictions on buy back
centerscenters and scavengers.
Separate Collection ObjectivesSeparate Collection Objectives

9. Separate Collection Results
• More than 35,000 separate35,000 separate
collection containerscollection containers placed
•• 4.54.5 mlnmln residentsresidents served by
end 2007
• Regional sorting centers
established
• Collection rate achieved lessless
than 3 kilograms per capitathan 3 kilograms per capita
per yearper year
• Separate collection contributes
for less than 5% of recyclingless than 5% of recycling
targetstargets achievement, but
• Above 80% of expenditures80% of expenditures
of recovery organizations are
for separate collection

10. Scavengers and Buy-Back Centers
Bay-Back
centre
Landfill
Regional
sorting site Recycling
plan
Supermarkets
Large Industry
Householders
Small shops
Scavengers
30-150 kg
< 50 kg
Large collectors
Mediator
< 2 000 kg
< 2 000 kg
Large collectors
< 5 000 kg
< 200 kg

11. Scavengers Contribution
• Substantial contribution for
recovery target completion
– 110,000 tons collected and
recycled material
– above 60% of recycled paper
and plastics.
• Savings for municipalities
and society
– No additional collection&sorting
costs
– Savings from municipal waste
collection
– Valuable resources for the
economy
• Self employment
– 10,000 annual salaries;

12. Arguments against Scavengers
• Scavengers steal materials
from separate collection
containers;
• Steals of metal parts from
electricity supply, railway,
public infrastructure;
• Risk for public health and
hygienic issues;
• Picking up waste from
containers is illegal;
• Scavengers do not pay
income tax.

13. •• Renovation ofRenovation of
BuyBuy--BackBack
CentersCenters
– App. 30% increase of
collected material
– Better acceptance
from population
– Deliveries from
residents living in the
neighbour areas
Positive Examples 1/2Positive Examples 1/2

14. •• CollectionCollection
Campaigns atCampaigns at
SchoolsSchools
•• SeparateSeparate
collection atcollection at
shops andshops and
supermarketssupermarkets
Positive Examples 2/2Positive Examples 2/2

15. • Waste management is entire
integrated process and packaging
recycling is a part of it.
• Scavengers are existing and cannot
be forbidden administratively
• Scavengers really contribute for the
achievement of national recycling
targets;
• The social aspects in the waste
management shall not be neglected
or underestimated;
• State administrations,
municipalities, business and other
stakeholders have to develop a
sustainable country specific
approach in implementation of EU
and national legislation related to
waste recycling (Packaging Waste,
WEEE, end-of-life vehicles)
ConclusionConclusion

16. Thank you for the attention!
ndoychinov@epc-koc.com