Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held a meeting on the implementation of the Head of State’s initiative Taza Qazaqstan, DKNews.kz reports.
A report was presented by Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nysanbayev on environmental protection measures, tree planting activities, the fight against unauthorized landfills, and the implementation of municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling projects. Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balaeva, Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek, and Minister of Education Zhuldyz Suleimenova spoke on issues related to fostering environmental culture among the population.
"The Presidential initiative Taza Qazaqstan has become a large-scale nationwide movement. It is not only about planting trees and cleaning up waste. The main outcome, he noted, is the public’s engagement in the collective effort to protect nature and create a comfortable environment to ensure a high quality of life. The preservation of natural wealth, clean air and water, and the rational use of resources are priority tasks that directly affect the well-being of current and future generations. The initiative, he stressed, is not a one-time campaign but an ongoing effort to cultivate a new environmental culture and daily habits among citizens," Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov emphasized.
As part of Taza Qazaqstan, 1,250 environmental activities were carried out across the country this year, including cleanup campaigns, greening efforts, and environmental education. Around 3 million trees were planted, more than 1 million hectares of territory were cleaned, and over 800 thousand tons of waste were collected. In line with the President’s instruction to plant 15 million seedlings by 2025, more than 18 million trees have already been planted in settlements under the Taza Qazaqstan campaign.
Work continues on eliminating unauthorized landfills. More than 1,300 mobile groups, operating jointly with internal affairs bodies, are active nationwide. Through satellite monitoring, 3,833 illegal dumpsites were identified this year, of which approximately 80 percent have already been eliminated. A total of 165 officials have been held administratively liable, with fines amounting to 12.4 million tenge.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 24 thousand submissions have been received via the Telegram chatbot @TazaQazBot, more than 23 thousand of which have already been addressed. The most common requests relate to territory cleanup (8,524), waste removal (1,709), street improvement (1,675), and road repairs (1,480).
A key aspect of the initiative is responsible waste management. To meet regional environmental needs, eight new MSW landfills have been commissioned. Twenty-two infrastructure projects for waste collection, sorting, and recycling — amounting to approximately 89.4 billion tenge, including funds from utilization fees — are under implementation. Work is underway on an additional 40 projects. The Comprehensive Plan provides for the construction of 100 MSW landfills in total.
Yerlan Nysanbayev also reported on the ongoing construction of three waste-to-energy plants in Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent. This year, corresponding Investment Agreements totaling 293 billion tenge were signed. In addition, utilization fee funds will be directed toward the management of wastes containing persistent organic pollutants and the elimination of abandoned hazardous wastes transferred to state ownership by court decision.
The Prime Minister heard reports from the akims of Abai and Ulytau regions, where low progress rates were recorded: only 36 percent and 53 percent of illegal dumpsites have been eliminated, respectively. Olzhas Bektenov instructed them to take urgent measures to correct the situation with MSW management. Furthermore, the akimats of Aktobe, Atyrau, East Kazakhstan, West Kazakhstan, Karaganda, Kostanay regions, and Zhetisu region must complete all work on eliminating illegal dumpsites by the end of the year. They were also instructed to accelerate landfill construction.
Approximately 6.5 million Kazakhstanis participated in environmental activities this year. The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of broad public awareness efforts, particularly focused on youth.
Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balaeva reported on new approaches to fostering environmental culture. Values of diligence, patriotism, and environmental responsibility among the younger generation are promoted within the unified educational program Adal Azamat. Currently, 87.2 percent of schoolchildren are engaged in additional environmental education. Around 380 types of clubs and extracurricular circles operate for them in areas such as ecology, biology, tourism, and local history.
At present, 35 higher education institutions in the country offer training in environmental studies. For the 2025–2026 academic year, 2,358 state grants have been allocated for the Environmental Studies specialization. Volunteerism is also actively developing in universities, with student involvement reaching 45 percent.
Furthermore, educational programs for training specialists in environmental engineering, eco-analysis, and related fields are being updated. In science, 318 projects are being implemented for 2025–2027 in the field of ecology, environmental protection, and the rational use of natural resources.
A separate issue discussed was progress on fulfilling the President’s instruction to plant 2 billion trees on forest fund lands.
According to the Minister of Ecology, 1 billion 470 million trees have been planted nationwide during 2021–2025 on a total area of 918.4 thousand hectares, including 320 million seedlings this year.
Scaling the experience of the Semey Ormany State Forest Nature Reserve on cultivating seedlings with closed root systems is underway in five regions: Almaty, East Kazakhstan, Pavlodar, Kostanay, and Abai. Survival rates of seedlings grown in domestic nurseries reach 90 percent. Construction of six new forest seed complexes with an annual capacity of around 6 million seedlings will begin early next year.
As part of an international project to restore natural ecosystems on the dried seabed of the Aral Sea, a nursery with a capacity of up to 3 million saxaul seedlings has been built in the town of Kazalinsk. Work is underway to build another nursery on the dried seabed and to establish the Aral Ormany reserve.
Reports were heard from the akimats of Akmola, Aktobe, and Kyzylorda regions, where shortcomings were identified in tree planting and seed collection.
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov emphasized that akimats must take all necessary measures to ensure high-quality planting and nursery establishment. The focus should be not only on the number of planted trees but also on their survival rate.
To strengthen oversight, a Monitoring Center for the implementation of the presidential initiative Taza Qazaqstan is being established under the leadership of the Prime Minister. Responsible state bodies will report monthly on their work.
