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

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

Gulzhamal ALIYEVA & Luis Angel ESPINOSA

ÖZET
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.

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.

ANAHTAR KELİMELER: Waste management, Kazakhstan, Circular economy, Public policy, Municipal waste.

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

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