To improve payment discipline in the waste disposal sector, it is planned to introduce conditions for electricity payment. The corresponding draft law was adopted in the first reading by the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis.
The project includes amendments to several legislative acts. According to them, if a consumer fails to pay for waste management services, the acceptance of electricity payments will be temporarily restricted.
Subscribers will receive notifications via SMS in advance about any debts for waste disposal. They will be given a certain amount of time to resolve these issues.
On December 9, the parliamentary faction of the "Milliy Tiklanish" party discussed the project. Deputy Jahongir Shirnov pointed out that the electricity supply contract is made between the subscriber and the electricity network company without the involvement of waste disposal operators.
As noted in the meeting, the rule regarding the condition of no debts for waste disposal will be included in the public offer of energy companies. Minister of Ecology Aziz Abduhakimov stated that the most effective way to stimulate debtors would be to notify them of their debts, indicating that if they do not pay on time, prices will rise sharply.
According to the Ministry of Ecology, the total debt for waste disposal has reached 596 billion sums, increasing by almost 24% since the beginning of the year. The new measure aims to address the issue of debt collection, as emphasized in the meeting.
There were also reports about plans to introduce unified accounts for utility payments using a package method within the next two years. This practice is used in many developed countries, noted the meeting participants.
Light and Waste
In January, Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree on the reorganization of the waste disposal sector, which included restrictions on electricity payments in the presence of unpaid debts for waste. These measures were supposed to take effect on June 1 in Tashkent, Nukus, and regional centers for subscribers with debts of 6 months or more.
Starting from November 1, the corresponding measure came into effect for all settlements in Uzbekistan and is applied in case of non-payment for 3 months. From January 1, 2025, restrictions will apply in case of monthly debt.
"Those who do not pay for waste will sit in the dark," said the spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy, Hasan Tashkhodzhayev.
Moreover, starting from April, it will be mandatory to have no debts for waste disposal when certifying contracts for the sale of real estate and vehicles. A unified payment and accounting system for mandatory payments will be used for verification.
At the end of October, "Regional Electric Networks" reported that specialists from the state company are working on the technical implementation of the corresponding function. It was emphasized that this does not involve a complete disconnection of the subscriber from electricity supply.
Earlier, Spot reported on how many PPP projects in the waste recycling sector have been implemented in Uzbekistan.