Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Uzbekistan, together with foreign investors and international financial institutions, is implementing a number of projects worth US$364 million in the field of solid waste management, infrastructure development, optimization of landfills, construction of reloading stations and waste processing facilities, Dunyo news agency reported.

According to the information service of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis, this was noted yesterday during a joint meeting of the committees of the upper house of parliament on agrarian, water management and ecology and on the development of the Aral Sea region.

In addition, it was emphasized that all regions of Uzbekistan have created the necessary infrastructure for the implementation of work related to waste. In particular, in the field of sanitary cleaning, the activities of 13 state unitary enterprises "Toza hudud" and their 174 branches, "Makhsustrans" and 101 private enterprises have been established. To date, the coverage of the provision of sanitary services in the regions is 71 percent.

With the participation of the South Korean company “Sejin G&E Co. Ltd. " within the framework of the project for the production of electricity by processing exhaust gases generated at the "Okhangaron" "Maidontol" landfills in Tashkent region, US$989,000 of investment funds were spent.

During the meeting, it was noted that along with the work done, there are certain problems.

In particular, in cases of discharge of household and construction waste into unallocated places, the number of offenses during 9 months of 2020 amounted to 20,605, which increased by 200 percent compared to last year.

In addition, illegal landfills are emerging due to the low level of waste collection services. In many areas (cities), waste is destroyed only by burial. Also, the involvement of the private sector in the implementation of related works is in an unsatisfactory state. In addition, due to the fact that tariffs for sanitary services provided to subscribers do not correspond to market principles, the operating costs of these enterprises are not reimbursed.

Despite the fact that in accordance with the President’s decree "On measures to further improve the system for handling household waste" from 18 May 2018, the production of plastic film bags with a thickness of less than 40 microns is prohibited on the territory of our country, sufficient measures are not taken to stop them production.

The work on the approval of the draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers "On measures to implement the project on sustainable management of solid waste" with the participation of the Asian Development Bank, as well as financing based on the approved program and the purchase of special equipment for the transportation of waste by the end of this year has not been fully completed.

It was also noted the need to control the timely implementation of the measures envisaged in the project "Reclamation of old landfills and the creation of new landfills in the Republic of Karakalpakstan and Khorezm region" with the participation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, in the project "Electricity generation through processing waste gases reproduced household waste "Okhangaron" "Maidontol" Tashkent region "with the participation of the Republic of Korea company" Sejin G&E Co. Ltd. ".