Waste management and circular economy development agency

Since 2018, September 20 — “World Cleanup Day” — has been held worldwide to clean our planet from waste on a mass scale. So far, 114 million people from 211 countries have participated in this initiative. In Uzbekistan, this eco-date is widely celebrated every year through plogging campaigns involving sector employees, eco-activists, youth, and the public. These eco-events have become a tradition aimed at cleaning up crowded areas from waste.

Today, on September 20, large-scale “World Cleanup Day” — “Butunjahon tozalik kuni” — plogging eco-action was organized across all regions of our Republic under the slogan “Reserve space for life.” The event was held by the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change and the Waste Management and Circular Economy Development Agency under it, in cooperation with “Coca-Cola,” “Yandex Uzbekistan,” and “O‘zsanoatqurilishbank.”

The eco-event held on the shore of the Tashkent Sea brought together officials of the Ministry and the Agency, sector representatives, the regional and city departments of Tashkent, system organizations, youth, eco-activists, and media representatives.

Opening the campaign, Director of the Waste Management Agency Sharifbek Hasanov noted: “The waste sector contributes to climate change, loss of biodiversity, and environmental pollution. According to statistical data, 19–20 thousand tons of waste are generated daily across the country. These include various types of metals, glass containers, paper, plastic, and food residues. In 2024 alone, of the total 14 million tons of waste collected in the Republic, only 5.2 percent was recycled.”

At the ceremony, ministry officials emphasized that “Our main goal is to change the public attitude toward waste and thus reduce its generation. In fact, we must keep the environment clean not only on ‘World Cleanup Day’ but every day.”

In addition, Sharifbek Hasanov stated that Uzbekistan is connected to the UN’s global “World Cleanup Day” network and, through live broadcast, has been actively participating in this international eco-action every year, and that this year’s campaign was organized on a large scale as well.

During the action, participants, divided into 15 teams, cleaned the designated areas under the guidance of responsible leaders. Competing for cleanliness, the most active participants won prizes.

According to the final results:

• The Forestry Agency team, which collected 223 kg of waste, took 1st place;

• The “Young Ecologists” team, which collected 175 kg, took 2nd place;

• The regional “Toza Hudud” company team, which collected 155 kg, took 3rd place.

During plogging, a total of 962 kg of waste was collected along the Tashkent Sea coast. Of this, 200 kg of plastic bottles were sent for recycling.

In addition, young eco-artists painted pictures dedicated to environmental cleanliness. At the end of the event, winning and active teams, as well as partner organizations, were duly awarded.

As reference: During the “World Cleanup Day” events on September 20, more than 1,700 participants from 72 teams across the Republic took part, collecting a total of 55.7 tons of waste, which was properly disposed of using 51 special waste collection vehicles.

For comparison, during last year’s “World Cleanup Day 2024” international eco-campaign, 36.5 tons of waste were collected nationwide.