Development of the Recycling Industry Sector in Bulgaria in the Context of the Circular Economy Concept

The article examines the structure and results of the activities of enterprises from the raw materials and materials recycling sector in Bulgaria by subsectors from the National Classifier of Economic Activities (NCEA 2008). The article examines the structure of the recycling industry sector of the national economy with enterprises and resp. the results achieved by them in each of the directions – waste collection, waste recycling and waste disposal. The research interest and choice of this sector of the national economy is not accidental. It is provoked by its importance for building a circular economy, the fight against climate change and the concept of secondary utilization of the exhaustible resources of our planet. The purpose of the article is to make a comparison and outline the directions of development of the enterprises from the recycling industry in Bulgaria in comparison with the general economic development of the country in recent years. Statistical data for the enterprises from the recycling industry were used in relation to selected economic indicators – turnover, value of long-term tangible assets, value of short-term tangible assets, employed personnel, investments made, etc. At the national macro level, and as a basis for comparison, the main macroeconomic indicators are observed – gross domestic product, gross domestic product per capita and foreign direct investments. By using the methods of comparison, retrospective analysis, technical analysis, etc. principles and regularities in the economic development of the sector and its importance for the general economic development of the country have been identified.