Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 29 March, a video conference meeting was held under the chairmanship of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the implementation of the Yashil Makon (Green Territory) project and improving waste management.

As part of the project, it is planned to plant 125 million seedlings this spring. In the regions, work has begun to create parks and plant trees along roads in ten rows. The progress of work in Karakalpakstan, Kashkadarya and Namangan regions was called exemplary.

However, in most regions and districts, land plots for planting trees have not yet been identified, and funds have not been allocated for irrigation and seedlings.

In this regard, yesterday this issue was critically reviewed by the Cabinet of Ministers; as a result, disciplinary sanctions were applied to 28 officials - regional and district khokims, their deputies and heads of system organizations.

Not all ministries and departments take a responsible approach to landscaping. For example, the Ministry of Defense created a park on 100 hectares, the Ministry of Digital Technologies and the Ministry of Mining and Geology - on 65 hectares. However, tree planting has not been completed on lands allocated to the Ministries of Energy and Transport. A lot of land remains unused along roads and railways, near rivers and canals, near industrial enterprises and gas stations.

In general, there is a lack of initiative and outreach for mass tree planting. It was emphasized that if government organizations, local councils, the Eco-Party and other associations, as well as mahallas are actively involved in the process, many parks can be created.

The following tasks and new initiatives within the framework of the Yashil Makon project were discussed at the meeting.

Many of our compatriots want to plant trees and create green areas, but residents of multi-storey buildings do not have enough land for this. In this context, an initiative has been launched in the Tashkent region, based on the experience of South Korea, according to which land from the district fund is transferred to improvement departments for 30 years. At the expense of the local budget, a drip irrigation system is being introduced, the land is being prepared for planting, after which all interested residents are invited to plant trees. Each tree is marked with the name of the person who planted it. A landscaping department employee is assigned to care for the trees.

The head of state instructed to implement this experience in all areas.

In our country there are 9,452 mahallas, 39 thousand multi-storey buildings in cities. It was emphasized that mahalla activists and management service companies should take an active part in planting trees.

There is a system in place whereby land along roads and canals is provided to interested parties on the basis of a direct contract for 10 years with an obligation to plant trees in five rows. This allows for the creation of many new forest plantations in the current season.

In Tashkent, the following experience is used to increase green areas: the city planning council requires that in new construction projects at least 30 percent of the territory be allocated for planting trees, even specifying what types of seedlings should be used. The facility can be put into operation only after this condition is met.

The Ministry of Construction was tasked with expanding this practice to all regions by including a tree planting obligation in urban planning standards and licensing requirements.

In particular, it was determined that this year, as part of the construction of 2.5 thousand multi-storey buildings, green alleys should be organized on 30 percent of the adjacent territory and on at least 1 hectare in each of the 38 New Uzbekistan areas.

The Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change has been tasked with organizing 444 green gardens and 160 public parks locally, as well as launching the “My Garden” project.

Responsible persons presented information on plans to create green areas along fields, around large enterprises and industrial zones.

The practice of free delivery of seedlings to social institutions will continue; this year more than 4 million seedlings will be distributed to them.

Issues of organizing a waste management system based on new approaches were also discussed at the meeting.

As noted, now a completely new system of improvement and cleanliness will be introduced in the regions. From 1 May, in two districts of each region, on an experimental basis, the functions of improvement departments will be transferred to private partners specializing in waste management.

As part of this initiative, entrepreneurs will be involved in planting trees and flowers, caring for them, cleaning canals, lighting streets, and removing waste.

Funds allocated annually from the budget to improvement departments will now be directed to these enterprises.

If the experiment shows its effectiveness, from 2025 it will be extended to all districts and cities.

There will be a separate system for Tashkent. Starting from 15 April, the tasks of the metropolitan area improvement departments for street cleaning, landscaping and road maintenance will be put up for auction and transferred to private partners.

A new system for regulating waste sites and recycling will also be introduced. In each region, 3-4 conveniently located landfills will be converted into special eco-industrial zones for the implementation of recycling projects, and the remaining ones will be used as temporary waste collection and transfer sites.

Landfills that have exhausted their service life will be closed. Poplars, mulberries, maples, elms will be planted around them, and green belts will be created.

Payment discipline is also necessary to improve waste removal services. In this regard, a new procedure will be introduced, according to which the “seven mahallas” will be given the right not to take into account non-existent debts for services not actually provided on their territory. This will help prevent the unfair practice of recording accounts receivable for services that were not provided.

A system will be introduced to encourage residents of apartment buildings to sort waste before recycling it. As part of this system, special garbage bags will be provided free of charge at the expense of the Ecology Fund, and residents will separate waste into categories and deliver it to collection points. Entrepreneurs will buy recyclable waste from the population.

At the first stage, this system will be launched in the cities of Tashkent, Andijan, Bukhara, Termez, Angren and the Tashkent region.

At the meeting, reports from responsible persons on the issues discussed were heard.