The draft laws “On Production and Consumption Wastes”, “On limiting the turnover of plastic film bags in the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic”, approved by the Jogorku Kenesh on June 29, 2023, were discussed by the participants of the round table held by the International Business Council.

The event, held on July 26, 2023, was attended by international experts, representatives of relevant government agencies and the business community of the country.

The bill “On Production and Consumption Wastes” introduces new payments (utilization fee) and new concepts in order to streamline legal regulation in the field of collection, storage, transportation, processing, neutralization and disposal of production and consumption wastes.

The draft law “On limiting the circulation of polymer film bags in the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic” proposes to limit the circulation of plastic film bags in the country. The initiative is relevant, because many countries have already introduced restrictions on the circulation of plastic bags. However, the list of restrictions provided for by the bill also include such types of plastic products as disposable tableware, disposable food packaging, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, disposable egg packaging, coffee capsules, a grocery mesh bag and much more.

The business community noted the extreme haste in the process of passing these bills without holding appropriate discussions with the participation of business, local governments, experts in the field of waste management and environmental protection.