Author: Dauren Yerbolatov
Mentor: Kalima Tazhiqul
Every year, around 4.5 million tons of waste are generated in Kazakhstan. Of this amount, only about 25.8% is recycled — and this figure mainly refers to non-hazardous waste collected in standard containers. This raises an important question: can printer cartridges, which are classified as hazardous waste, be thrown away with regular trash? How are they recycled, and who is responsible for the process?
In Kazakhstan, printer cartridges fall under the category of waste electrical and electronic equipment. This means they cannot be disposed of together with municipal waste. According to paragraph 2-1 of Article 293 of the Environmental Code, they must be collected separately and delivered to licensed collection points. However, for ordinary citizens, disposing of hazardous waste at such facilities remains a challenge, as the necessary infrastructure is still underdeveloped. There is also concern that old cartridges are often discarded along with household waste.
*The original article was written in Kazakh
The full article prepared by the project resident can be read at the following link: https://kz.kursiv.media/kk/2025-07-15/drnr-qazaqstanda-kartridzhder-qalaj-utilizacziyalanady/