Reverse vending machines collect 16,581 containers in a month

Plastic made up the largest share: 14,899 units. In addition, the machines collected 1,289 aluminum cans and 393 glass containers. Gazeta.uz attributes these figures to a single reverse vending machine in Tashkent, located in the Chilanzar district at 7A Bunyodkor Street, near the building of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change (according to Gazeta.uz, the payout amount was 2.4 million soums).

The agency launched the pilot project in September together with the Norwegian company Tomra. A second machine is undergoing trials in Surkhandarya region. The agency expects the initiative to reduce the amount of waste on the streets and in landfills. If the pilot proves successful, plans were made to expand it nationwide.

For each returned item, 150 soums is credited. The money can be withdrawn to an e-wallet (Spot.uz clarifies that this refers to Click) or donated as part of the Yashil Makon project. Only clean and empty containers with a volume of up to three liters are accepted.

A draft of a new edition of the Law "On Waste" was presented in October by Iskandar Kutbiddinov, deputy head of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change. It envisions a mandatory deposit-refund system for plastic and glass beverage bottles and aluminum cans. The recycling rate of such waste—6.2%—was cited as the rationale. Under the draft, a packaging deposit may be included in the product price, and buyers will be able to get it back by returning the empty container to a collection point.