Kazakhstan to unveil national waste strategy amid industrial challenges

New policy due in September aims to overhaul waste management, support recycling industry, and address underregulated sectors

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (MNTV) — Kazakhstan’s government is developing a new national strategy on waste management, set for release in September, in a bid to tackle mounting challenges in recycling, landfill overuse, and industrial waste regulation.

The upcoming policy will take a comprehensive approach to handling various waste streams—municipal, industrial, medical, and agricultural—and aims to fix fragmented oversight and limited enforcement.

The plan will include a full analysis of the current system and outline reforms, said Ablai Almukhanov, deputy director at the Waste Management Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, in an interview with The Astana Times.

Kazakhstan generates more than 4.5 million tons of municipal waste annually, but only 26% was recycled in 2024—falling short of the government’s 30% target.

The country aims to reach 40% by 2030, but several structural and financial barriers remain.

One of the core issues is poor economic viability. Current tariffs for waste management do not cover operational costs, deterring private sector investment. Although a 2021 environmental law requires regular tariff reviews, only 155 out of 211 local governments had completed revisions by early 2025.

In response, the ministry has proposed a public-private model in which more realistic tariffs would be subsidized by national recycling funds.

The government is also introducing financial incentives to boost recycling infrastructure. Since 2024, enterprises in the waste sector have been eligible for 3% loans via the Industrial Development Fund, financed by recycling fees through Zhasyl Damu.

“These long-term, low-interest loans help fund new sorting lines, garbage trucks, and recycling facilities,” said Almukhanov.

So far, 67 projects valued at 316.9 billion Kazakhstani tenge ($617.7 million) have been approved, including 43 focused on recycling. Officials estimate this could expand national recycling capacity by 1.1 million tons.

Another measure is the relaunch of the EcoQoldau program, which pays companies per ton of recycled waste.

In 2025, firms will receive more than 71,000 tenge ($139) per ton of collected and processed polymer waste. A total of 9.2 billion tenge ($17.9 million) has been earmarked for the program this year.

However, structural issues go beyond municipal waste. Kazakhstan produces nearly one billion tons of industrial waste each year—mostly from mining and quarrying, which account for 70%, followed by manufacturing at nearly 16%. Oversight is spread across multiple agencies, often resulting in regulatory gaps.

“Some waste types—like construction, agricultural, and medical—fall under several ministries, which makes coordinated management difficult,” said Almukhanov.

The new strategy will aim to centralize oversight and bring underregulated waste streams into compliance.

Waste infrastructure also remains outdated. Of approximately 3,000 landfills in Kazakhstan, only 20% meet environmental standards.

In 2024 alone, over 1,000 illegal dumps were reported. Since 2018, Kazakhstan’s national space agency Garysh Sapary has used satellite monitoring to track unregulated waste disposal sites.

Globally, the recycling sector is one of the fastest-growing industries, with the plastic recycling market alone projected to grow from $42.4 billion in 2024 to nearly $58 billion by 2029, according to Boston-based BCC Research.

Almukhanov said Kazakhstan’s waste policy is increasingly aligned with the global shift toward zero-waste systems.

“Our priority is to minimize landfill waste by improving separate collection, thorough sorting, and expanding recycling,” he said. “Much of what ends up in landfills still has value as secondary raw materials.”

Community initiatives are also playing a growing role.

In Almaty, grassroots “Darmarka” events allow residents to donate used goods and responsibly dispose of everyday household waste—including hazardous items like expired medicines and batteries.

“We help people develop eco-friendly habits, one small action at a time,” said event co-organizer and eco-trainer Mariyam Kassymova.

In Astana, environmental advocates are working to make recycling more accessible and appealing.

Eco influencer Aida Alimbekova promotes the behavioral science-based FEAST model—fun, easy, attractive, social, and timely—to foster change.

“We show that sustainability can be simple and even enjoyable,” she said.

Experts say that long-term impact requires early education.

Many are calling for environmental studies to be integrated into school curricula to build a generation that views sustainable living as both achievable and essential.