site.btaIndustry Organizations Call for Rejection of State Deposit System Proposal

The Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB), the Association of Soft Drink Producers in Bulgaria (ASDPB), and the Modern Trade Association (MTA) have called for the immediate rejection of a proposed state-run deposit return system for beverage packaging, warning that it poses serious risks for Bulgaria, the three organizations said on Wednesday.

On January 22, 2026, BSP – United Left MPs Bilyana Ivanova and Dragomir Stoynev, at the initiative of outgoing Environment and Water Minister Manol Genov, submitted to the National Assembly a bill to amend and supplement the Waste Management Act, introducing a state-run deposit return system for beverage packaging in Bulgaria.

According to the organizations, the proposed amendments to the Waste Management Act violate European legislation and undermine fundamental principles of lawmaking, including sound justification, transparency, ethics, and consistency.

UBB, ASDPB and MTA expressed firm opposition to both the draft legislation and the manner in which it was introduced. They stressed that it is unacceptable for a large-scale, nationally significant project affecting thousands of business operators and all consumers to be pushed through amid a political crisis, with an outgoing government, upcoming early parliamentary elections, and a legislature with a limited horizon, and without proper justification or dialogue with the affected industry, stakeholders, and the wider public. The organizations added that submitting such a proposal at the last moment, without transparency, impact assessment, or public consultations, raises serious concerns about unfair and potentially corrupt practices.

The three organizations jointly called on the next government to restore dialogue on the deposit return system, with the aim of developing, through transparent, expert-based, and consensus-driven decisions, an effective system that complies with EU legislation and serves the interests of Bulgarian society and the environment.