Kazakhstan is planning to build waste-to-energy treatment plants. This will significantly reduce the amount of debris collected at landfills. Up to five million tonnes of municipal solid waste and about a billion tonnes of industrial waste are generated in the country annually. A new environmental code comes into force today. Its concept, which includes the best OECD and EU eco-practices, was discussed today at the fifth Eurasian Forum on Green Energy and Waste Recycling. The forum participants touched upon the problem of recycling not only industrial waste, but also construction and medical waste. Experts said that improper disposal of the latter could lead to negative environmental and socio-economic consequences. However, Kazakhstan already has a successful experience in managing this type of waste.
“The pilot project we have launched in three regions of the country has been completed. As part of this initiative, new equipment has been introduced and standard procedures for proper medical waste disposal have been established. Requirements for the supply of new equipment were introduced during such training. We’ve also studied the existing practices and made necessary recommendations for a systematic approach already at the national level,” said Vitaliy Vremish, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Kazakhstan.
Generally, Kazakhstan confidently and dynamically adopts the best international practices for the transition to a green economy, thus forming a trend in its region, said Vremish.
“Policies or strategic measures that are being taken in Kazakhstan are very important and advanced. We have already mentioned that there is a green economy concept in the country, which has been in operation since 2013, that already includes these parameters, and there is also an environmental code. So, all these political measures are very important, and I think Kazakhstan is at a very advanced level in terms of its policies,” added Vremish.
Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova
Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova
