On August 14, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was presented with an overview of measures to expand waste processing, according to the presidential press service. The initiative is considered vital for enhancing the country’s environment and safeguarding public health. A report details that modern approaches are being implemented in this sector, with over 2 trillion soums invested from various sources in the last three years. Last year saw the establishment of the Agency for Waste Management and Circular Economy Development.
Approximately 1,200 new units of equipment were procured for waste management enterprises, and waste collection sites were constructed in mahallas (local neighborhoods). The improved collection and transportation system has transformed the sector into a source of secondary raw materials.
The sector, previously under state monopoly, has been opened to entrepreneurship, fostering a favorable business climate. Specifically, the profit and social tax rate for sanitation and processing enterprises has been set at 1 percent. Equipment imported from abroad is exempt from customs duties. Consequently, around 200 sanitation and 290 processing enterprises have been established.
During the presentation, officials provided updates on project implementation and future plans.
The country generates 14 million tons of household waste annually, but the processing rate remains low. Recent projects have increased this figure to 5 percent.
Projects that generate energy by incinerating waste are being supported. Chinese investors are constructing such plants in six regions. The government is committed to paying for waste disposal and purchasing the generated energy.
Recently, two medical waste incineration plants with heat energy recovery were commissioned in Tashkent. Plans are underway to build two more such plants in Samarkand and one in each of the remaining regions.
A quarter of household waste consists of paper, plastic, rubber, glass, and textile remnants. Processing these materials could yield raw materials worth 1 trillion soums. Furthermore, the country has significant potential in processing construction, chemical, electronic, technical waste, and industrial oils.
It was emphasized that waste disposal services must meet the needs of the population. To this end, the task was set to create the possibility of online tracking of the arrival time and route of garbage trucks in each mahalla.
Instructions were given to develop a two-year program to fully provide social institutions and mahallas with waste containers. The importance of fostering an environmental culture in society, starting from kindergartens and schools, was highlighted.