Waste management and circular economy development agency

On August 25, the Waste Management and Circular Economy Development Agency organized a press tour in connection with the launch of a medical waste incineration plant located near City Hospital No. 16 in the Chilanzar district of Tashkent. The event was attended by representatives of national and local media, as well as industry specialists.

At the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and in accordance with Resolution No. 263 dated July 17, 2024, “On measures to implement the investment project ‘Production of alternative thermal energy from medical waste’ in line with the ‘Zero Waste’ principle,” the American company Sayar has launched the first plant in the country that produces alternative thermal energy by burning medical waste.

It should be noted that on April 13, 2024, an investment agreement was signed between the investor, the project company, and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan represented by the Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade.

According to the agreement, with the participation of the investor and the project company:
— At the first stage, in 2024–2025, through direct investments amounting to 7 million USD, 6,000 tons of medical waste generated annually in all types of medical institutions in Tashkent city, Samarkand, and Bukhara regions will be thermally processed, and facilities with a capacity of 20 GWh per year will be commissioned;
— At the second stage, in 2026–2030, through direct investments of 108 million USD, 90,000 tons of medical waste generated annually by all types of medical institutions across the remaining regions of the republic will be thermally processed, and facilities with a capacity of 300 GWh per year will be commissioned.

As part of the implementation of these activities, construction and installation work has been completed at City Hospital No. 16 in the Chilanzar district of Tashkent, incineration equipment has been installed, and the first plant has started operations. Currently, the plant incinerates and disposes of 3 tons of medical waste daily. The facility’s total incineration capacity is 6 tons of waste per 20-hour workday.

It is worth noting that construction of the next plants intended for the effective disposal of medical waste is actively continuing at the 2nd Clinic of the Tashkent Medical Academy (TMA) in the Almazar district of Tashkent, as well as at the medical facility of the Tashkent Pediatric Medical Institute (TashPMI) in the Tashkent district.

During the press tour, media representatives received answers from industry officials to all their questions of interest.