Municipal garbage collection fee in Burgas set to increase by 30%

The municipal waste fee for residential properties in the coastal city of Burgas will increase by 30%. This was decided by the municipal councilors at a meeting in the seaside city on December 19. The reason is the higher costs for organised cleaning services in the municipality. Thus, after nearly 14 years, the municipal waste fee has been increased significantly, and the new prices come into force on January 1, 2024.

Dimitrinka is a pensioner and lives in a four-room apartment in Burgas. She pays 200 BGN tax, which includes the household waste fee. She says she has money saved and will use it to pay the higher bills.

"30% really seems like a very big increase to me. It's not normal because anything that increases has absolutely no correlation to our income," said Vanya Gocheva.

The municipality explains that the waste tax in Burgas is one of the lowest and has not been updated for 15 years.

"The costs for collection, for cleaning, for removal, for disposal of waste are constantly growing at a faster rate than the revenue from the municipal waste fee. Even though Burgas is one of the first places in terms of newly commissioned housing," said Stanimir Apostolov, deputy mayor for finance at Burgas municipality.

In 2025, a new methodology for the formation of the municipal waste fee is expected to be introduced. It will be based on the "polluter pays more" principle.

“Payments from residents will increase. The structure of the municipal waste fee is such that 2/3 of the municipal waste fee revenue is formed by companies, legal entities, and only 1/3 by citizens and residential properties," explained Stanimir Apostolov.

On the territory of Burgas municipality, the current collection rate of the municipal waste fee is 80%. According to the budget for 2024, nearly 34 million BGN have been allocated.