TRANSITIONING TO A CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN KAZAKHSTAN: AN ANALYSIS OF WASTE MANAGEMENT POLICY AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES

Year 2026, Volume: 8 Issue: 2 , 117 - 139 , 01.05.2026

Gulzhamal Aliyeva Luis Angel Espinosa

https://izlik.org/JA57CN35EL

Abstract

This article analyses Kazakhstan’s waste management policy in the context of increasing global environmental challenges and the country’s transition to a circular economy. Methodologically, the study employs qualitative document analysis of the post-2021 governance framework, including laws, subordinate acts, policy programmes, and official institutional materials. It is complemented by descriptive analysis of official statistics, and the findings are synthesised through a SWOT framework. The analysis highlights that, despite regulatory modernisation following the 2021 Environmental Code, implementation remains uneven due to infrastructure gaps, weak incentives, limited citizen participation, and persistent data inaccuracies. Particular attention is paid to municipal solid waste and e-waste, with municipal-level dynamics illustrated through the Astana waste management programme (2024–2028). The SWOT-based discussion links these constraints to policy priorities, including digitalisation of waste-flow accounting and registers, strengthened local implementation capacity, enforcement, and investment- oriented instruments to expand sorting and recycling.

Keywords

Waste management , Kazakhstan , Circular economy , Public policy , Municipal waste.

Ethical Statement

This study did not require approval from an ethics committee as it did not involve human participants, animals, or sensitive personal data. All data used in this research were obtained from publicly available sources.

References

• Adilet. (2003). On accession of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Basel Convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal: Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan, February 10, 2003 No. 389. https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/Z030000389
• Adilet. (2007a). On ratification of the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants: Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan, June 7, 2007 No. 259. https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/Z070000259
• Adilet. (2007b). On ratification of the Rotterdam Convention on the prior informed consent procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade: Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan, March 20, 2007 No. 239. https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/Z070000239
• Adilet. (2013). Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated May 30, 2013 No. 577: On the concept for the transition of the Republic of Kazakhstan to a green economy. https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/U1300000577
• Adilet. (2021). Environmental Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated January 2, 2021 No. 400-VI LRK. https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2100000400
• Akimat of the city of Astana. (2024). On approval of the programme of municipal waste management of Astana city for 2024–2028. https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/astana/documents/details/692189
• Bureau of National Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. (2024a). Environmental indicators for monitoring and assessing the environment. https://stat.gov.kz/ru/ecologic-indicators/28434/waste_generation/
• Bureau of National Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. (2024b). Environmental statistics. https://stat.gov.kz/ru/industries/environment/stat-eco/
• CABAR.asia. (2022). Kazakhstan: Environmental awareness of citizens can help overcome the waste crisis. https://cabar.asia/ru/kazahstan-ot-musornogo-kollapsa-spaset-ekologicheskaya-osoznannost-grazhdan
• EcoNetwork. (2024). Opening of the EcoHub in Almaty. https://econetwork.green/news/otkrytie-pervogo-ekokhaba-v-almatyru?id=b02e51ed-8de0-4cc2-aebc-934e5965828c
• KazWaste. (2024). List of regulatory legal acts applicable to the field of waste management. https://kaz-waste.kz/blog/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=834
• KazWaste. (2025). Kazakhstan needs recycling, not waste incineration. https://kaz-waste.kz/news/908/
• Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan. (2022). On amendments to the order of the Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan of September 8, 2021 No. 363-Ө: On approval of the list of national standards in the field of management of certain types of waste. https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/ecogeo/documents/details/284748
• Newtimes.kz. (2022). Environmental violations cost Kazakhstan 3.5 billion annually. https://newtimes.kz/obshchestvo/159039-ekologicheskie-narusheniya-obhodyatsya-kazahstanu-v-3-5-mlrd-ezhegodno
• Ranking.kz. (2024). Environmental crimes in the Republic of Kazakhstan: What do offenders attempt most often? https://ranking.kz/reviews/regions/ekologicheskie-prestupleniya-v-rk-na-chto-pravonarushiteli-pokushayutsya-chasche-vsego.html
• Supreme Audit Chamber of the Republic of Kazakhstan. (2023). Information on the work of the Supreme Audit Chamber for the second quarter of 2023 and 6 months of 2023. https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/esep/documents/details/515861
• The Global E-Waste Statistics Partnership. (2022). Kazakhstan. https://globalewaste.org/statistics/country/kazakhstan/2022/
• United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. (2019). Kazakhstan: Environmental performance reviews (3rd review). https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2021-08/ECE_CEP_185_Eng_0.pdf
• United Nations Environment Programme. (2024). Global waste management outlook 2024. https://www.unep.org/resources/global-waste-management-outlook-2024
• World Bank. (2024). Circular economy as an opportunity for Central Asia: Summary report. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099052024074569900/pdf/P1708701a3dabb0e11b7b11feb6167f2ecb.pdf
• Zikrina, Z., Auhinova, N., & Asanova, Z. (2021). Tomorrow was too late: Environmental risks of Kazakhstan. Kazakh-German University. https://crs.dku.kz/ru/klyuchevye-komponenty/dialogi/publikacii-i-knigi/zavtra-bylo-pozdno-ekologicheskie-riski-kazahstana/