Bulgaria
The law behind single-use plastics EPR in Bulgaria
Single-use plastics EPR in Bulgaria does more than charge a fee. The 2021 ordinance (ПМС 354/2021) transposing the EU SUP Directive combines outright bans, mandatory marking and an EPR chapter that covers litter clean-up, collection and awareness costs.
A defined list of throwaway plastics has been banned since 3 July 2021: cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers, cotton-bud sticks, balloon sticks, EPS cups and food containers, and all oxo-degradable plastic.
What remains legal but carries EPR includes food containers, cups, wet wipes, balloons and tobacco filters.
Producers have had to register in НИСО since 1 September 2022.
Selling single-use plastics into Bulgaria
Imagine you ship plastic food containers from another EU state into Bulgaria. You are the first to place them on the market, so you owe the SUP EPR duty.
But that same container may also count as packaging, which changes what you have to register for before you file.
Getting your Bulgarian registration in place
Registration is electronic through НИСО with a qualified electronic signature (КЕП), filed within one month of starting the activity.
- Obtain a qualified electronic signature (КЕП).
- Log in to НИСО and open the SUP-producer registration form (ЗУО чл. 45, ал. 1, т. 13).
- Declare your compliance route: recovery organisation or individual compliance with a product fee.
- Submit the form. ExEA publishes your entry in the public register on the ИАОС site.
A foreign producer established in another EU state may appoint an authorised representative under ЗУО чл. 14а, though this is optional rather than a blanket requirement.
Where the money goes in Bulgaria
The fee funds litter clean-up, collection and treatment, awareness campaigns and data gathering, not a flat per-unit product fee. The distinction matters because a producer of tobacco filters and a producer of food containers pay for different cost types under the same scheme.
No official contribution amount was grounded on a public source. A producer either joins a recovery organisation and pays its tariff, or complies individually with a product fee.
There is no registration fee.
The reporting rhythm in Bulgaria
Reporting is annual. You file through НИСО for the preceding calendar year, signed with a КЕП, by 31 March of the following year. That cadence covers the annual waste report under Наредба № 1/2014.
The placed-on-market producer reporting may follow a different calendar set by the SUP ordinance.
The dates already in force and ahead
The SUP Directive's broader rules are already transposed. Caps have been tethered to plastic bottles since 3 July 2024. The next milestones are 30 percent recycled content in plastic beverage bottles by 2030 and 90 percent separate collection of plastic bottles by 2029.
Enforcement runs through ЗУО administrative sanctions. The wider picture across all streams sits on EPR in Bulgaria.
Frequently asked questions about single-use plastics EPR in Bulgaria
Short answers to what producers ask most about the Bulgarian rules.
Who has to register for single-use plastics EPR in Bulgaria?
The first business to place an SUP product covered by the EPR chapter on the Bulgarian market. This includes food containers, cups, wet wipes, balloons and tobacco filters. There is no volume threshold.
How much does single-use plastics EPR cost in Bulgaria?
There is no registration fee. The compliance cost depends on whether you join a recovery organisation or comply individually. No official contribution amount is published. The money funds litter clean-up and collection, not a simple per-unit charge.
Do foreign or online sellers need an authorised representative in Bulgaria?
An authorised representative is available under ЗУО чл. 14а for EU-established producers, but it is optional. Whether a non-EU distance seller must appoint one has not been confirmed for SUP.
When are single-use plastics reports due in Bulgaria?
The annual НИСО report for the preceding calendar year is due by 31 March, filed with a qualified electronic signature (КЕП).
