Eco-activists in Balkhash are demanding tougher penalties for those who dump rubbish in unauthorised places. According to them, local residents and organisations that do not want to pay for disposal at the landfill are littering the outskirts of the city.
According to Ktk.kz, activists visit illegal dumps and examine the rubbish to find information about its owner.
For example, on the outskirts of Balkhash, they discovered a pile of plastic seats previously used at a stadium. They belonged to the city’s sports department. The contractor who carried out their replacement was found and held accountable.
In addition, waste from a major industrial facility was also found there. However, it was not possible to determine who owned most of the rubbish.
“That is why money for cleaning up the area is allocated from the city budget. If the offenders are eventually found, a warning is issued first,” the statement reads.
For their part, eco-activists are calling for fines to be issued at the first offence.
“Only hitting them in the pocket works, only fines. I have already raised this issue. MPs from the Majilis of the Parliament visited us, and I said the article should be changed. Not a warning, but an immediate fine with a high MCI. Only then can we somehow achieve this. At least people will be afraid,” said activist Anar Adambekova.
Recall that in March, Senator Zakirzhan Kuziev described the information from the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources on waste sorting in Kazakhstan as “drawn on paper”. He also criticised the Ministry of Ecology and local administrations for preferring to create huge landfill sites instead of recycling waste.