Kazakhstan revises EPR recycling-confirmation procedure for producers
Kazakhstan's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has issued Order No. 273, changing from 21 December 2026 how producers and importers that run their own waste collection and recycling systems must prove they have met their extended producer responsibility obligations. Confirmation documents will go directly to the EPR operator rather than the state authority, filed twice yearly, broken down by applicant status and product category, with stricter checks on document completeness and chronology; companies that fail to confirm compliance must instead pay a recycling fee under contract with the operator.
Why this mattersTighter, operator-run verification raises compliance risk for producers relying on self-managed recycling, pushing some toward the fee-based alternative.
- New rules take effect 21 December 2026 under Order No. 273 of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, dated 15 October 2026
- Producers and importers using their own collection and recycling systems must now file confirmation documents directly with the EPR operator instead of the authorised state body
- Filings are required twice a year, by the 20th of the month following each reporting half-year, in electronic or paper form
- Obligations must be confirmed separately for each applicant status (producer or importer) and for each product type
- The EPR operator has 20 working days to check document completeness and legibility, with 15 working days given to fix any issues
- Companies that cannot confirm compliance via their own system must instead sign a contract with the EPR operator and pay a recycling fee