In Kazakhstan, environmental activists have taken up the problem of recycling culture, as yet only one quarter of waste is sorted and recycled in the country, Mir 24 reports.
An environmental activist Shasalim Shagalimov installed special vending machines that accept cans and plastic bottles in the capital city. Everyone receives a small amount for discharging his rubbish, and waste is delivered to a private landfill.
Over the past year, the number of environmental activists in the Republic has doubled. They held a large-scale festival in Astana this summer to show citizens how useful products can be made from solid domestic waste. For example, household chemicals, packaging products and bottles were recycled and used to make benches that can serve from 5 to 10 years. Thus, they reconvert plastic waste to useful products and return them to the economy.
Glass, cardboard, paper and metal can be recycled today. However, municipal solid waste accounts for less than a quarter of total waste recycled in the country. This is the lowest figure among the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union.
The Republic generates about 5 million tonnes of rubbish every year, and this figure continues to grow. By 2030, the authorities plan to increase recycling rates to 40%. For this purpose, it is planned to build 6 waste processing plants in Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Taraz, Aktobe and Karaganda.
