The issue of household waste is no longer just a matter of cleanliness, but of fairness, efficiency, and European standards. This is precisely why the change in the household waste fee is becoming one of the most important changes for municipalities, businesses, and citizens. The principle is clear. The regulatory framework is in place. However, actual implementation continues to be delayed. The history of the change in the household waste fee (HWF) illustrates the gap between legislative intent and administrative readiness.

What has changed and when

The change in the basis for calculating the household waste fee was established in the Local Taxes and Fees Act (LTFA) with the amendment published in the State Gazette, Issue 88 of 2017. The main idea: the fee should no longer be determined as a percentage of the property’s assessed value, but should reflect the actual amount of waste generated—i.e., “the polluter pays.” The law provides for the amount of household waste as the primary basis, and the municipal council in each municipality in the country may adopt an alternative basis only if there are objective circumstances preventing the application of the primary basis.

Permissible bases include: an individually determined amount of waste per property (including through bags of a specific capacity), an amount based on the number and capacity of containers and the frequency of collection, as well as the number of service users at the property.

Chronology of Postponements

The change went through a series of postponements. The initial goal was implementation as of January 1, 2025. With the publication of the Amendment to the Local Taxes and Fees Act in the State Gazette, Issue No. 81 of September 24, 2024, the ban on using the tax assessment, book value, or market price of properties as the basis for determining the waste collection fee was postponed until December 31, 2025.

The end of 2025 brought yet another step backward. On December 17, 2025, the National Assembly adopted, on second reading, transitional and final provisions to the Local Taxes and Fees Act through the so-called “extension law”—the Law on the Collection of Revenues and the Execution of Expenditures in 2026.

Section 6 of this law allowed municipalities to continue applying the existing procedure for determining the waste collection fee in 2026, and municipalities that had failed to adopt a budget plan under the new procedure by January 31, 2026, were entitled to collect the fee based on the amount in effect as of December 31, 2025.

At the end of 2025, the implementation period was extended by another three years.

The postponement is not accidental and is not merely political. Behind it lie specific technical and administrative challenges.

And here comes the problem with the data. To implement the new framework, municipalities need data—on the number of actual property users, the type of use (seasonal or year-round), and the area actually used. This data does not exist in a ready-to-use form in any central registry.

In preparation for introducing the “polluter pays” principle, the Sofia Municipality published sample declarations through which citizens and businesses can provide data on the number of residents and the waste generated—solely for the purpose of gathering preliminary information on how the properties are used.

The technical readiness of municipalities is also in question. Most municipalities lack both suitable software and an established system for metering or tracking the amount of waste per property. The option of determining waste management fees based on the number of users is preferred by a number of municipalities precisely because of the complexity and the need for additional technical resources required by the other methods provided for by law.

The risk of a financial deficit in municipal budgets is among the leading concerns of local administrations. Here is an example from last year: the projected budget of the municipality of Yambol for waste management services for 2025 is approximately 13.8 million BGN, of which only 6.15 million BGN is planned to come from fees paid by citizens and businesses. This gap between actual expenses and collected revenues is typical for many municipalities and shows that the transition to a new calculation method carries the risk of significant changes in the fee amount - a socially and politically sensitive issue.

Models Developed with European Funding

While legislative implementation is delayed, methodological preparation is moving forward. Under the Environment Program 2021-2027, the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB) has been implementing the project “Models for Optimizing the Municipal Solid Waste Management Process in Bulgaria” (Contract No. BG16FFPR002-2.001-0001-C01), accessible on a dedicated portal: waste.namrb.org.

The project has a total value of 4 995 972.80 BGN (approximately €2.55 million), 70–85% of which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, and is being implemented from April 8, 2024, to June 8, 2026.

The overall outcome is the development of eight model waste collection and management schemes, differentiated by settlement type and type of development. The models cover: urban areas with high-rise buildings; urban areas with low-rise buildings and single-family homes; urban areas with mixed-use development; city centers in large cities; small settlements with multi-family houses; vacation home areas; resort villages; and industrial zones/parks using a municipal waste management system.

Specialized software was developed as part of the project to provide forecasts of waste generation and composition, enable the modeling of various technical alternatives, and calculate the total costs for waste management systems - including the amount of municipal solid waste by user category for each of the model types.

The minimum number of municipalities for which direct support is provided for the implementation of the models is 70. By the end of 2025, six regional forums were held in cities such as Tryavna, Montana, Targovishte, and Burgas, attended by representatives of municipalities from all regions of the country. In February 2026, the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria also published a Guide for Implementing the Models, available for download by all municipalities.

The Ministry of Environment and Water has expressed its readiness to assist local authorities in selecting an appropriate model, and experts from the Ministry are engaged in the consultation process.

What’s Next

A change in the household waste fee is inevitable—it stems both from national law and from European requirements for the transition to a circular economy. Data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) show that in 2024, Bulgaria generated over 3.19 million tons of household waste, or about 496 kg per person - a 0.9% increase compared to 2023. Given this trend, linking the fee to the actual amount generated takes on not only financial but also behavioral significance: a well-structured fee is a tool for reducing waste, not just for covering costs.

The question is no longer whether the change will happen, but whether municipalities will have sufficient administrative and technical capacity to implement it meaningfully - rather than merely formally. The models developed under the “Environment” Program provide the framework. Implementation remains to be undertaken. The Ministry of Environment and Water continues to work together with municipalities and partner institutions for the sustainable introduction of a fair and effective model. The goal is less waste, better resource management, and a cleaner environment for citizens.