The new capital’s waste removal operator LLP «Zero Waste» has found itself at the centre of an environmental scandal: the company uses a chain of intermediaries to dispose of municipal waste in an unprepared quarry, while responsibility for the illegal landfill has been placed on the landowner, not the waste collection company.
In early December, the FBRK editorial team reported that «Zero Waste» waste trucks were dumping waste in a quarry near the village of Koyandy in the Tselinograd district of the Akmola region, instead of at a waste processing plant.
We sent official requests to a number of state bodies asking them to investigate the fact of waste dumping at an unauthorised location. Following the official requests, state bodies from two regions – Astana and the Akmola region – clarified the details of the situation.
On 13 November 2024, the Department of Ecology for the Akmola Region conducted an inspection of the disposal sites for solid municipal waste from Astana within the Tselinograd district. However, the inspection revealed not direct waste disposal, but a chain of intermediary companies.
It turned out that in October, «Zero Waste» entered into a contract for the reception of solid municipal waste with IE «Marusсhak Vitaliy Viktorovich», who had leased a plot for waste sorting from a citizen Ryskulov E.S. near the village of Koyandy.
As it transpired, IE Maruschak is registered in Kostanay, does not have the necessary permits (environmental impact assessment, permit for receiving and sorting solid municipal waste) and a land plot deed, and operates only on the basis of a business commencement notification.
In this regard, the Department of Ecology for the Akmola Region drew up a report on the landowner, Mr Ryskulov, for operating without an environmental permit (part 4 of article 328 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan) and referred the case to court.
The department also initiated the matter of the seizure of the land plot and requested that measures be taken against LLP «Zero Waste» from the Department of Ecology of Astana.
However, the Department of Environmental Protection of Astana found no violations in the actions of «Zero Waste», stating that the landfill site in Koyandy is registered as an «alternative point» for receiving and sorting solid municipal waste.
According to the department, the company has legal contracts with three facilities: a local landfill, a main landfill, and a waste processing plant. It is noted that all facilities have the necessary permits.
Thus, the contradictions in the positions of the environmental authorities of the two regions create a dangerous precedent, allowing waste collection companies to avoid responsibility for environmental violations.
We believe that to resolve the issue, it is necessary not only to hold specific offenders accountable, but also to undertake a comprehensive review of the waste management control system across the entire agglomeration.
The FBRK editorial team has sent an official request to the Ministry of Ecology asking for a comprehensive inspection of the legality of LLP «Zero Waste»’s activities, to verify the justification for issuing permits for receiving and sorting solid municipal waste, and to assess the responses from the regional environmental authorities.