BISHKEK, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- "See that mountain? That's garbage. The smell is unbearable," local resident Aktan Akylbekov told Xinhua. "But now things are gradually changing for the better."
In December last year, a waste-to-energy plant, built by China's Hunan Junxin Environmental Protection Co., Ltd., was officially commissioned at the foot of Bishkek's "garbage mountain."
Akylbekov, 25, works there as a centralized control operator. From the control room, he monitors operations and flue gas emissions in real time. "We fully comply with environmental standards," he assured.
He said it was a great honor to work with his Chinese colleagues, who built the plant and are now teaching local workers new technologies. "The plant benefits both countries," he said.
Operations at the plant are carried out in a coordinated and well-organized manner. In the unloading area, trucks deposit municipal waste into containers. Operators in the crane control room use large grabs to feed waste into the chute. The incinerator runs at around 1,000 degrees Celsius, with a rotating grate that mixes the waste to ensure complete combustion. Harmful gases are removed through denitrification, desulfurization, and heavy-metal adsorption before emission.
Project General Director Zhang Jinfang said that the company had introduced technologies for generating electricity through waste incineration. By turning "waste" into "treasure," the plant not only helps address environmental problems but also supplies clean electricity to local residents.
The plant currently processes up to 1,000 tons of waste per day and generates about 146 million kWh of green electricity annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 100,000 tons per year.
At the commissioning ceremony in December 2025, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said the plant would address waste recycling, generate electricity, and create jobs.
"The construction of this plant will significantly improve the environmental situation in the capital and will also contribute to providing the population with electricity," the president said.
Akylbekov is especially pleased that the second phase is already underway. Two more similar facilities are also being built in the Central Asian country. ■