The I International Online Winter School “Sorting and Disposal of Municipal Solid Waste” Has Concluded

On March 4, 2026, the I International Online Winter School entitled “Sorting and Disposal of Municipal Solid Waste” successfully concluded its work. The event was organized by the UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Development of the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences with the support of Baku State University (Azerbaijan), the Kyrgyz National University named after J. Balasagyn (Kyrgyzstan), and the Central Asian-German Institute for the Protection of Ecosystems and Biodiversity.

The Winter School was held in anticipation of the International Day of Zero Waste and aimed to familiarize participants with modern scientific and practical approaches to municipal solid waste management, sorting, and recycling. 

During the program, participants discussed municipal solid waste within the framework of sustainable development and the circular economy, global challenges of waste management, the methodology of morphological analysis of waste, thermal waste treatment methods, the Zero Waste concept, the impact of waste on ecosystems and biodiversity, pollution of soil, water and atmosphere caused by waste, as well as environmental legislation and advanced international practices in waste management.

Lectures were delivered by scholars and lecturers from universities of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan. Participants also watched specialized video materials and took part in interactive discussions.

According to the program, participants completed independent assignments. These included developing a roadmap for transitioning to a circular economy model, creating a waste management chain based on the Reduce–Reuse–Recycle hierarchy, analyzing solid waste sorting technologies, and assessing the impact of waste on ecosystems and biodiversity. 

The final session included a discussion of the participants’ work and the overall outcomes of the Winter School. It was emphasized that such international educational platforms contribute to the development of environmental education and strengthen scientific cooperation in the field of sustainable development.

The Winter School also contributes to the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 — Responsible Consumption and Production, and promotes the development of environmental awareness and ecological culture.