The document discusses e-waste practices and issues in Bulgaria. It describes an awareness campaign held in 10 Bulgarian cities that included meetings between local authorities, businesses, and NGOs. It also discusses the results of a national report on e-waste activities in Bulgaria's six regions conducted by a team of 12 experts. Key findings from the report include that over 60% of respondents believe the e-waste laws are not properly applied, most communities struggle to organize proper e-waste storage sites, and about a third of communities are uninformed about the e-waste collection system. The main problem identified is public ignorance about the e-waste system.

1. E-Waste in Bulgaria: Practices and Problems Skopje November 23 VII International Conference ICT and Environment

2. Awareness and Information Campaign 30 events in 10 Bulgarian cities and alternative happenings on eco and art festivals (Ideas factory): Meetings between the stakeholders – local authorities, business and NGOs. Presentation in schools, universities. Expositions and performances.

3. National report about the activities in all six Bulgarian regions A team of 12 experts. Detailed study of one big (over 10 000 inhabitants) and one small community (less than 10 000) in each of the six Bulgarian regions - Public Environmental Center for Sustainable Development, Varna: http://www.ecovarna.info/. 38 participants from the administration (local and the Ministry of the Environment and Waters), businesses and end-users – consumers. Directly involved in the management, commerce, use and recycling of electronic and electric products and waste. Method - interviews, surveys, analyse of the appropriate legislation. Bulgaria prepares new legislation and the results of the report must be evaluated and implemented quickly.

4. Statistic

5. Do we have a good legislation framework? Generally people believe in the legislation, but the majority are not informed in details and there is big differences in the results between the communities. Over 60% believe that the low is not applied properly.

6. Negative practices Most of the communities have difficulties to organize sites for contemporary storage. No permanent, sustainable solutions.

7. Which links in the chain of the collection do not work? Why? One third of the communities are not at all informed about the holistic functioning of the system.

8. How the mandatory taxes for electric and electronic equipment are spent, used, distributed? Some respondents doubt that such taxes exists.

9. Motivation The main problem is the ignorance of the system.

10. Vladimir Ivanov Bluelink Foundation, Bulgaria E-mail: [email_address] www.bluelink.net