Published
10/05/2025, 16:31A new player in the environmental sector may appear in Kyrgyzstan—the state-owned enterprise Eco Operator. The Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision has submitted a draft order approving the charter of the state-owned enterprise for public discussion.
Eco Operator is intended to be the key administrator of the waste disposal and recycling system. If the draft is approved, the enterprise will be assigned a wide range of tasks: from distributing waste disposal fees and financing recycling to building new facilities and introducing modern technologies.
According to the developers' plan, the operator should become a guarantor that the “polluter pays” principle will work in practice, and that waste disposal fees will be directed specifically to the development of the industry, rather than disappearing into bureaucracy.
The idea of the Eco Operator originated in a 2021 presidential decree on measures to ensure environmental safety. At that time, the guidelines were set: “waste into income” and a reduction in the volume of landfilled recyclable waste. With the adoption of the law “On Production and Consumption Waste” in 2023, extended producer responsibility was established in the country for the first time. Now importers and local companies must be responsible for the disposal of packaging and goods that have lost their consumer properties.
The document is currently under discussion. If the charter is approved, Kyrgyzstan will have a centralized coordinator in the field of waste management.
