Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent to build waste utilization plants
Three major cities of Kazakhstan, Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent, will build plants designed to process non-recyclable waste, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nyssanbayev announced, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Kazakhstan generates more than 4.5 million tons of municipal waste annually. The country's recycling rate has grown from 25.8% in 2024 to 28.6% in 2025. Within the framework of preferential financing through the utilization fee, 63 projects in the waste management sector have been approved, with 22 projects funded for 89.4 billion tenge (out of a total of 185 billion tenge).
These projects include the purchase of waste collection equipment, sorting, and recycling facilities.
According to Minister Nyssanbayev, the implementation of planned projects will allow Kazakhstan to raise the recycling rate to 40% by 2030.
Systematic work is also underway to identify and eliminate illegal landfills. Joint inspections with law enforcement revealed more than 3,000 violations. In 2025, 3,827 landfills were detected through satellite monitoring, of which 3,464 (91%) were eliminated. Compared to 2018, the number of landfills has decreased by 45%, as proof of positive progress.
Nyssanbayev further announced that under signed investment agreements, three plants for non-recyclable waste disposal will be built in Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent, with a total cost of 293 billion tenge. Construction is expected to take 2–3 years.
This year Kazakhstan developed a waste management concept. The document provides for waste inventory, digitalization, and continuous monitoring of all processes.
