PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN CENTRAL ASIA: BARRIERS, INNOVATIONS AND POLICY PATHWAYS

This article analyses the factors that hinder the development of circular plastic waste management in Central Asian countries and the technological, economic and regulatory pathways for overcoming them. Drawing on reports by the OECD, UNEP and the World Bank, international peer-reviewed literature and the legislation of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the topic is examined along four dimensions: collection and sorting infrastructure, recycling technologies and secondary material markets, regulatory and financial instruments, and regional cooperation and monitoring. The analysis shows that plastic waste cannot be addressed through recycling alone; waste prevention, improved product design, stronger separate collection and viable markets for secondary materials must be pursued together. A five-component conceptual framework adapted to regional conditions is proposed, and research and policy priorities for Uzbekistan are identified.