Solid waste management project in Aktau city - Feasibility Study

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development provided a loan in the amount of 18 million USD  (13 million Euro) for modernization of the municipal utility company “Koktem” GKP (the state-owned enterprise with the right of economic management) and construction of modern facilities for collection and treatment of household waste in Aktau city. The methods of collection and treatment of municipal waste inherited from the Soviet era have been revised and completely modernized, which has led to a significant reduction in the volume of waste disposal; decrease in CO2 and methane emissions, expansion of reuse activities and utilization of resources; generation of environmentally friendly electricity.

COWI RU (Russia) and BDC Consulting provided their consulting services for the development of feasibility study with a detailed priority investment program in accordance with the national legislation and the EU laws in the field of waste collection and treatment.

The main parameters of the feasibility study were technical, financial, eco-social and institutional conclusions of revision of "Koktem" GKP activities, regulatory methods and approaches for waste collection and treatment, including processing of waste at a sorting facility, which allows to actively extract valuable fractions from the general flow of municipal solid waste. At the same time, the volume of waste sent for final disposal has been reduced by 50–55%. Most of the biodegradable waste is sent for anaerobic processing, thus reducing the risk of leachate generation at the landfill, which means a significant reduction in the risk of soil and groundwater contamination; improvement of the sanitary condition of the landfill and better working conditions; a considerable fire risk reduction, an improvement of worker safety; mitigation of the consequences of damage to the population and a lower threat of excessive harmful emissions into the atmosphere.