From News Desk
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is helping Kazakhstan tackle waste at a popular mountain area, as new survey results show plastic pollution is growing, even in some of the world’s most remote regions.
The Plastic Waste in Remote and Mountainous Areas project, run by the UNEP-hosted Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions, has introduced new waste collection points for plastic, glass, paper and aluminium in the popular Ayusai mountain area near Almaty, visited by up to 3,000 people a day during the summer.
A waste compressor has also been installed at the Ayusai visitors’ centre to reduce waste volume and create local employment. Furthermore, with support from the project, a waste collection hub has been set up in Almaty to receive plastic waste from Ayusai and other areas. The centre now receives up to 500kg of plastic waste daily, while helping to connect the remote Ayusai site with urban recycling infrastructure.
“Mountainous areas like Ayusai are often left behind when it comes to waste infrastructure,” said Aidai Kurmanova, Head of UNEP’s Central Asia Office, in Almaty. “This project shows how local action can make a real difference and heal scars on one of Kazakhstan’s touristic natural treasures.”
Plastic pollution reaches new heights
Mountain regions, such as the Ayusai mountain area near Almaty, are especially vulnerable to plastic pollution due to high transport costs, harsh climatic conditions and poorer infrastructure compared to urban areas — hindering effective waste management.
This initiative came as the world prepared to mark World Environment Day 2025 on June 5 under the theme to “End Plastic Pollution”. In 2025, the world is expected to consume 516 million tonnes of plastics. Only 9% of all plastics produced are actually being recycled globally.
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