ASTANA – A programme to purchase old cars will be launched in Kazakhstan. A car must not exceed 3.5 tonnes or seven seats. Instead of cars, the owner will receive financial compensation, the amount of which varies depending on the configuration of the car.

If the car is fully assembled, the payment will be 150,000 tenge (US$451). If the car need significant maintenance but has body, doors, engine, gearbox (indispensable condition), the car owner will receive 48,000 tenge (US$144).

A meeting of the working group on the implementation of extended obligations of producers (importers) with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Investments and Development, Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, KazAvtoProm, Association of Kazakhstan Car Business, car manufacturers and Operator ROP (a company that controls enhanced obligations of manufacturers) was held Oct. 3. The attendees discussed the conditions for the programme’s development to implement the mechanisms of old and unfit cars.

Operator ROP will define the terms of admission and order of payments. The acceptance of waste cars will be held in 17 cities.

A pilot version of the project has been developed, according to which the car owner must submit an old car to the Operator ROP for further recycling.

According to the project developers, it will reduce the number of non-ecological and potentially unsafe cars. The company plans to collect about 10,000 old cars for recycling by the end of this year.

The recycling programme also has great social and economic benefits in the form of promotion of entrepreneurship and creation of new jobs.

The principle of extended obligations of producers (importers) was adopted from Jan. 1.

Operator ROP is responsible for organisation of the collection, transportation, recycling, disposal, use and (or) disposal of waste generated after the loss of consumer properties of goods, which are subject to enhanced obligations of producers (importers).