Senate adopted new Environmental Code of RK

The "polluter pays principle" implies measures to prevent environmental pollution, also responsibility for the restoration of damage to the environment. The state must create conditions under which users of natural resources would rather take all measures to prevent negative impact on the environment than pay environmental fines," the minister said.

The Code provides for the requirement to undergo an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for large enterprises of the "First category", the list of which will be revised. The focus is environmentally hazardous facilities. The public is involved in all the EIA stages. Objects of the 1st category are subject to mandatory EIA. Objects of the 2nd category go through screening. In order to account for the objects of the 3rd category, which include warehouses, furniture workshops, concrete mixing units and other facilities, whose activities bring insignificant environmental pollution, declarations will be adopted. 4th category facilities are completely exempt from regulation. These are car washes, service stations, public catering facilities, microbusiness facilities with low-power boiler plants for their own needs," Magzum Mirzagaliyev said.

This means the need to minimize waste generation. The generated waste must be recycled, utilized, and only in the last place disposed of at landfills. The population will also be informed about the rational system of collection, disposal and processing of solid waste, separate waste collection. Waste classification was brought in line with the European Waste Catalog. It will contain a list of both non-hazardous and hazardous waste, "the minister noted.