Near the Issyk-Kul Lake in the eastern mountains of the Kyrgyz Republic lies Jyrgalan, a village of 1,000 inhabitants. The scenic village was once a hidden gem but is quickly gaining traction as a tourist destination, with biking and hiking trails having multiplied. But this is posing challenges such as increased waste generation, including plastics. With the support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Jyrgalan has inaugurated its first waste collection facility, a crucial step towards achieving sustainable development and tourism.
The new facility, established through the pilot project "Sustainable Tourism and Management of Plastic and Food Waste" within UNEP’s Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals 2022-23 programme, is a boost for the village’s inhabitants and those who run the guesthouses, many of whom are women. This includes Bermet Japarova, owner of the Baitor Jyrgalan Guesthouse, whose team has had to use its own vehicles to transport waste to a town an hour way for years. This was inefficient, costly and unhealthy.
"The people of Jyrgalan can now enjoy and contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment while also benefitting from green job opportunities,” said Arnold Kreilhuber, Director of the UNEP Europe Office. “We aim to scale up this pilot project with authorities, civil society and the private sector in other countries in Central Asia, helping them shift towards more sustainable tourism, waste prevention and management."
In the landfills of large settlements in the Kyrgyz Republic, plastic accounts for 20 per cent of waste, while packaging accounts for 40–50 per cent in the capital, Bishkek. Food waste also poses serious issues across the country.
The project, launched in February 2023, aims to address this issue through building capacity for small businesses and strengthening the role of women in decision-making. People who bring waste to the facility earn revenue. The facility employs one worker to sort through different types of waste.
Gulmira Primova, co-owner of the Alakol Guesthouse and head of the Destination Jyrgalan tourist association, is among those already benefiting from the facility. She has tasked one of her 20 employees with sorting the guesthouse’s waste and taking it to the facility, allowing him to keep the revenue this waste generates.
The guesthouse will soon begin composting food waste, following training by the UNEP project, which is implemented by nongovernmental organization ESG Central Asia.
Humanity produces 430 million tonnes of plastic annually, two-thirds of which are short-lived and become waste. This can cause up to US$600 billion in damage a year. Without urgent action, up to 37 million tonnes of plastic will enter aquatic ecosystems, including lakes like Issyk-Kul, annually by 2040.
Addressing plastic pollution requires action from all stakeholders, experts say. Implementing extended producer responsibility, bolstering recycling capacity and limiting or stopping the production of single-use plastics are among the key steps UNEP has recommended the Kyrgyz Republic take.
The Kyrgyz Republic will attend the upcoming second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) to develop an Internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, which will be held in Paris, France, from 29 May to 2 June. It has also expressed interest in joining the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative.
In 2015, Jyrgalan had only one guesthouse, compared to the 21 that will exist in the coming months. With the village implementing waste collection measures needed to match its rapid growth, more stakeholders can follow its example and prioritize sound waste management.
The upcoming World Environment Day on 5 June can help inform these steps through its focus on the solutions to the plastic pollution crisis.
About World Environment Day
World Environment Day on 5 June is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by UNEP and held annually since 1974, the event has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet. This year, World Environment Day will focus on solutions to the plastic pollution crisis.
For more information, contact Alejandro Laguna, Head of Communication for Europe, at laguna@un.org.
