The initiative is being implemented as part of a pilot project carried out through cooperation between the Agency for Waste Management and Circular Economy Development and TOMRA, a Norwegian company specializing in automated waste collection and sorting technologies. The project aims to encourage the separate collection and recycling of plastic, glass, and aluminum beverage containers in Uzbekistan.

From now on, residents can deposit sorted plastic, glass, and aluminum beverage containers into special reverse vending machines and receive an incentive of UZS 150 for each container.
Users of the machines can choose between two options. Under the first option, UZS 150 is paid for each accepted container, with the funds transferred to the user’s Click electronic wallet. Under the second option, users can choose to donate the money to charity. In this case, the funds generated from the sale of the collected containers will be directed toward charitable causes and tree-planting initiatives.

The reverse vending machines make it possible to collect beverage containers separately, without mixing them with other household waste, and ensure that they can be sent for recycling. The sorted materials can be processed into secondary raw materials and reused in the production of new products. This helps reduce the use of natural resources and minimize the amount of waste ending up on streets, in water bodies, and at landfills.

Another objective of the project is to make waste sorting a part of people’s daily habits and increase environmental awareness among the population. The initiative aims to demonstrate that a used beverage container is not simply waste, but rather a recyclable resource with economic value.

If the pilot project proves successful, it is planned to gradually install reverse vending machines in high-traffic public areas across other regions of the country.