Six waste incineration plants worth a total of $933 million will be built in Uzbekistan. The facilities will be located in the Andijan, Namangan, Fergana, Samarkand, Kashkadarya, and Tashkent regions. Once operational, they will be able to process 3.6 million tons of solid household waste annually and generate 1.6 billion kWh of electricity, according to Gazeta.uz.
These plans were announced at a meeting with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, dedicated to measures in the field of environmental protection and the development of a waste management system.
In the presentation given to the head of state, it was noted that in 2025, 88% of mahallas were covered by sanitary cleaning. Specialized equipment, motor scooters, and containers were supplied to the industry, areas around 132 landfills were improved, and the operation of 47 landfills was ceased.
In 2026, it is planned to increase the coverage of sanitary cleaning services to 90%. To achieve this, enterprises will receive an additional 300 units of special equipment, 80 motor scooters, and 600 containers. The reclamation of 18 landfills is also planned. Authorities aim to reduce the number of landfills by 32.6%, and by 2030, to halve their number.
Another focus is on reducing logistics costs and decreasing the load on landfills. For this purpose, 28 waste transfer stations are planned to be built in 2026, and 70 by 2030. According to Shukhrat Khaydar, Deputy Director of the Waste Management Agency, these stations will reduce the expenses of sanitary cleaning enterprises and shorten the distance for waste transportation.
Projects for generating electricity from household waste were also discussed separately. The president was briefed on the progress of constructing six such plants. One project is already being implemented in Samarkand in cooperation with the Chinese company Shanghai SUS Environment. The SUS Environment Samarkand plant is being built on the central landfill site in the Navruz mahalla. Fifteen hectares of the 100-hectare landfill have been allocated for the facility. The launch of the plant is expected in early 2027.
It is planned that the Samarkand plant will process 1,500 tons of waste per day and produce 240 million kWh of electricity per year. The agency stated that this could provide electricity to 70% of Samarkand’s population and 27% of the residents of the Pastdargom district.
Director of the Waste Management and Circular Economy Development Agency, Sharifbek Hasanov, announced plans to build five more waste incineration plants in the most challenging regions in cooperation with investors. Their total cost is estimated at $633 million.
At the same time, environmentalists point out potential risks of waste incineration plants: the need for fossil fuels, greenhouse gas emissions, and the relatively small amount of energy produced. Agency representatives, in turn, state that ash after incineration will be processed into construction materials, and smoke will be purified using water from the Dargom canal.
A new format for waste collection is also being tested in Samarkand: electric and gasoline motor scooters have begun to be used in the city center between the Koshkhavuz and Urguti mahallas. Each mahalla has been assigned two scooters, and the city has received a total of 70 units of equipment. This system of mini garbage trucks is planned to be gradually introduced in all urban settlements in the country.
