Country Status
In 2022, Kazakhstan generated 196 million kilograms of e-waste, which represents 10,2 kilograms of e-waste generated per capita. 12,4 million kilograms of e-waste were documented as properly collected and recycled for 2022. Kazakhstan has regulations dedicated to e-waste management: the new Environmental Code of Kazakhstan, which entered into force in July 2021.
The Environmental Code provides for separate collection of e-waste, mercury-containing waste, batteries and other hazardous components and for the transfer of waste to recycling companies. It also regulates issues related to waste classification and hazardous waste management and sets requirements for extended producer responsibility (EPR) on e-waste. EPR has been effective in Kazakhstan since 2017 and is open for importers and producers to choose an individual EPR scheme or a collective one. As a member state of the Eurasian Economic Union, Kazakhstan is subjected to the Technical Regulation on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products, effective since 2018. The regulation sets requirements for the design and production of EEE. Kazakhstan is also a signatory of the Agreement on Cooperation on the Management of Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment, signed in 2018 by member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The agreement aims to promote the establishment of a regional system for the management of e-waste.
Even with the availability of e-waste management regulatory framework, which sets prerequisites for an e-waste management system, Kazakhstan faces several challenges in the collection and recycling of e-waste. These challenges include a low compliance with legal requirements, a lack of collection infrastructures
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E-Waste Generated (million kg):
196
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E-Waste Generated (kg per capita):
10,2
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E-Waste Documented as Formally Collected and Recycled:
12,4
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E-Waste Policy, Legislation or Regulation:
Yes
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EPR on E-Waste:
Yes
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Collection Target in Place: Yes
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Recycling Target in Place: No
ITU and E-waste in Kazakhstan
ITU has been providing assistance to the Republic of Kazakhstan to strengthen its e-waste regulatory framework. The support has been centred around providing recommendations and a practical national roadmap for environmentally sound management of e-waste.
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ITU
– UNITAR-SCYCLE (2021 – 2024)
In collaboration with the UNITAR-SCYCLE Programme, ITU provided technical assistance to the Republic of Kazakhstan. The project activities encompassed the preparation and delivery of a two-day Stakeholder Forum on e-waste legislation and the publication of a National E-waste Monitor 2023 for Kazakhstan. On 22 and 23 November 2022, the Stakeholder Forum was organized in Astana, where the current e-waste statistics, projections, challenges and opportunities for e-waste management were discussed. It was attended by government, civil society private sector and academia stakeholders. The National E-waste Monitor 2023 for Kazakhstan builds an analysis of several e-waste management scenarios for the country and provides recommendations and a practical national roadmap for environmentally sound management of e-waste in Kazakhstan. The report demonstrates the importance of adopting a sustainable e-waste management system and shows that such a system could lead to significant economic, environmental and social benefits in the country. This national e-waste data and policy support was based on a previous collaboration between UNITAR-SCYCLE and ITU, which aimed at documenting e-waste data for the entire CIS region.