WEBINAR ON EXPLANATION OF THE NEW ENVIRONMENTAL CODE IN WASTE MANAGEMENT

Petrocouncil.kz together with the ecological association Ecojer, the Ministry of Ecology, the Information and Analytical Center of the Ministry of Ecology, and the eco-association Kazwaste held a webinar to clarify the new environmental code for solid waste for subsoil users. the code was signed on January 2, 2021.

The seminar was attended by representatives of more than 50 organizations, Chairman of the committee of the Ministry opened the meeting. Among participants were Kazenergy, NCE Atameken, subsoil users such as KPO, NCOC, TCO, KMG and its subsidiaries, Total Dunga, KPI, United Chemical Corporation and waste management companies.

The aim of the seminar was to develop specific approaches to waste recycling in cooperation with industry associations, government agencies and the public and to start implementation.

The introduction of the adopted code is planned for July 1, 2021, but currently, a special normative act is being developed regarding the waste classifier.

Within six months, the Ministry of Ecology plans to carry out work on the preparation of normative legal acts for the environmental code, respectively, proposals for amending or supplementing the code from subsoil users are taken into account by industry authorities.

The new version of the Environmental Code increases the liability of industrial enterprises for environmental pollution and toughens the liability for illegal actions to trees.

Also, the new version of the code requires industrial enterprises to introduce advanced technologies in order to reduce emissions into the environment.

Benefits of the new environmental code:

📌 Established terms and specific definitions of waste management processes

📌 Waste management hierarchy

📌 Principle of responsibility of the waste generator

📌 State regulation: licensing and notification procedure

📌 Fee for landfill

📌 Extension of the concept of “temporary storage (accumulation) of waste to waste recyclers”

At the same time, there are problems of the implementation of the new Environmental Code in the field of industrial waste management.

⚠️ Limits on the waste accumulation

⚠️ Ban on the disposal of certain types of waste

⚠️ Waste classification

⚠️ Lack of incentive measures

During the meeting, subsoil users received answers to their questions and voiced their proposals for their introduction into the normative legal acts. Following the meeting, it was decided to hold the same seminar again to further discuss the processing of industrial and solid waste.