JSC "Zhasyl Damu" Presented Its Report and New Initiatives at the Meeting of the Environmental Council under the “AMANAT” Party

A meeting of the Environmental Council under the “AMANAT” party was held at the party’s Central Office, chaired by Member of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Chairman of the Council, Bauyrzhan Smagulov.

At the meeting, JSC “Zhasyl Damu” presented the results of its activities for 2022–2025, emphasizing that the company’s work consistently implements the objectives set out in the party’s election program “Amanat – Together with the People!” and fulfills key functions in the environmental sector.

The company acts as the national operator in the fields of greenhouse gas emissions regulation, hazardous waste management, and the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) mechanism.

In the area of greenhouse gas regulation, Kazakhstan reaffirmed its commitment to the Paris Agreement and became one of the first countries to submit a Biennial Transparency Report at the UN Climate Conference. A draft National Carbon Quota Plan with a target reduction of 3.41% has been prepared. In 2024, 529 reports were registered in the national carbon cadastre, including 228 from major emitters. The main sources of emissions are the power industry (62%), metallurgy (16%), and the oil and gas sector (14%). More than 7 million offset units were issued, including 38 projects involving wind and solar power plants.

JSC “Zhasyl Damu” is implementing projects for the elimination of orphan hazardous waste. A total of 17 facilities have been transferred to state ownership, of which 6 have been removed, 2 implemented, 2 handed over to local authorities, 6 are pending removal, and 1 is under inspection. At the AZPM site in Aktau, 121 types of waste were removed in 2023, 2 in 2024, and 83 in 2025, thus fully clearing the area of hazardous waste transferred to state ownership by court decision. Work continues on the relocation of PCB waste under the UNDP/GEF project. By 2030, all hazardous waste owned by the state will be fully removed using EPR funds.

Since assuming the EPR operator functions, the company has collected KZT 1,473.2 billion in utilization payments, including KZT 723.1 billion from producers, KZT 531 billion from importers, and KZT 219.2 billion transferred from the former operator. Total expenditures for 2022–2025 amount to KZT 1,549.3 billion, of which more than KZT 717 billion was returned to domestic producers, KZT 604.6 billion allocated to support the manufacturing sector, KZT 9.7 billion to waste management, and KZT 400 million to environmental education. The company transferred KZT 174.7 billion to the state budget, including KZT 128.9 billion in taxes and KZT 45.8 billion in dividends — three times more than the amount transferred by the previous operator over six years.

In accordance with a Government directive, KZT 42.7 billion will be allocated for environmental purposes:

KZT 21 billion for the construction and modernization of 45 municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills,

KZT 11.9 billion for the removal of legacy waste at 7 sites in 4 regions,

KZT 5 billion for the liquidation of waste at the Koshkar-Ata site,

KZT 2.6 billion for afforestation of the dried Aral Sea bed,

KZT 1.8 billion for financing the Kazakh Research Institute of the Caspian Sea.

Utilization payments are effectively directed toward industrial support: concessional financing enabled the purchase of 13,000 new vehicles, the leasing program supported 1,847 agricultural machines, and KZT 45 billion was allocated for updating the public transport fleet with 1,761 eco-friendly buses. By 2026, KZT 185 billion will be invested in MSW infrastructure, increasing sorting and recycling capacities and creating 5,100 jobs. Over KZT 150 billion will also be directed toward the renewal of special equipment and vehicles, nurseries, early fire detection systems, and the modernization of the hydrometeorological service.

Under the Government Decree on MSW projects, 65 projects totaling KZT 339.8 billion have been submitted, exceeding the initially planned KZT 185 billion by 1.8 times. JSC “Zhasyl Damu” has financed 20 projects worth KZT 87.3 billion (4 projects in 2024 and 16 in 2025). Another 12 projects totaling KZT 23 billion were approved by the Industrial Development Fund (IDF), 13 projects worth KZT 82.2 billion are under review, and 20 projects totaling KZT 125.6 billion are being prepared for the second phase.

On February 5, 2024, the EcoQolday program was relaunched to support businesses involved in the collection, transportation, and recycling of packaging and auto-component waste. To date, 74 contracts have been signed — 46 for collection, 18 for recycling, and 10 for the full cycle. In 2024, 10.3 thousand tons of waste were recycled, and from January to August 2025 — 19.1 thousand tons, totaling 29.4 thousand tons. Payments to participants amounted to KZT 447.3 million. Following the launch of the mobile application, 739 applications were received for the collection of 2,618 tons of waste, and 1,725 waste generators were registered.

 JSC “Zhasyl Damu” actively supports public environmental initiatives, participating in the “Taza Kazakhstan” campaign, “Clean Thursday” and “Road to School” initiatives. In 9 national parks, more than 120 staff members were trained, 109 containers and 13 modular collection stations were installed, 700,000 biodegradable bags distributed, and 9 educational videos produced. In 2026, this work will be expanded to 5 more national parks. In schools in Astana and Zhezkazgan, 3,285 containers were installed and eco-culture lessons conducted; the program will be expanded to 15 regional centers. The company also supports the OrtaFest festival, Darmarka eco-fairs, and is a partner of EcoSummer 2025 through the EcoQolday mobile app for environmental competitions.