VZCZCXRO1494
PP RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHPW RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHEK #0930 2561101
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121101Z SEP 08 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY BISHKEK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1343
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2647
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 3037
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2422
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO BRUSSELS BE
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP

UNCLAS BISHKEK 000930 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN AND SCA/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO KG
SUBJECT: Environmental Specialist Plants Seeds of Consciousness in 
Kyrgyzstan 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: IIP Speaker Jaime Lozano, Los Angeles 
Environmental Specialist with over twenty years experience in solid 
waste management, raised awareness of the solid waste disposal 
challenges facing Kyrgyzstan.  He met with students, academicians, 
NGO's, and local authorities in the capital city and in the tourist 
area surrounding Lake Issyk-Kul.  A visit to the Bishkek Municipal 
Landfill revealed that improper precautions are being taken to 
protect local residents from exposure to potential toxins and 
disease.  End Summary. 
 
BISHKEK LANDFILL: SOCIETY'S DIRTY LAUNDRY 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The city of Bishkek, including suburbs, has a population of 
nearly a million residents and produces roughly 300,000 tons of 
solid waste annually.  Bishkek does not have a formal recycling 
program and the landfill, opened in 1973 and designed for 10 years 
of use, operates beyond capacity.  The 59-acre landfill is poorly 
constructed, lacking a liner to protect the soil and water from 
run-off, or "leachate."  According to standard landfill operating 
procedures, the landfill should be covered daily by dirt or other 
material to protect the air from toxins.  The landfill in Bishkek is 
uncovered, and trash is collected in big mounds which smolder, 
producing toxic smoke. 
 
LANDFILL TOXINS THREATENS LOCAL POPULATION 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) Local residents, mostly internal migrants who have built 
settlements on land belonging to the landfill, rummage through 
trash, collecting wood, metal, cardboard, and plastic bottles.  The 
landfill director denied that children are among the scavengers, but 
on a visit to the landfill during the first week of school, we saw 
several children picking through trash.  The landfill is loosely 
guarded and is not fenced.  The director explained that squatters 
have occupied 207 acres of adjacent land that was earmarked for 
landfill expansion, making it impossible to expand the landfill. 
Leachate, uncovered trash, and unchecked banned hazardous compounds 
pose a significant threat to the public health of local residents. 
 
LOZANO: YOUR WASTE IS "GOLD" - DON'T THROW IT AWAY 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Despite the sorry state of the Bishkek landfill, Lozano was 
optimistic that local authorities could find the political will to 
fix the problems.  Lozano explained to local authorities that 
recycling would not only help the environment, but could also 
improve the local economy.  In fact, some unofficial recycling is 
already taking place.  The scavengers who live near the landfill 
wash and sell plastic bottles for recycling in China.  There are 
several cardboard recycling centers, and a local company, "Altyn 
Ajidar" ("Golden Dragon"), makes paper products and boxes from 
recycled cardboard.  However, much work needs to be done to educate 
the local population about separating out recyclables.  Construction 
of a recycling sorting facility would not only reduce the amount of 
solid waste going into the landfill, but would also create jobs and 
humane working conditions for the people who live at the landfill. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment: While Lozano was most often greeted with 
skepticism and a "show me the money" attitude, he quickly 
established himself as an expert on the details of solid waste 
disposal.  Of particular interest to his Kyrgyz interlocutors were 
his ideas about how to make money on garbage.  As a follow-on to his 
visit, Post will expand contacts with UNDP environmental specialists 
and will develop ways to increase local environmental awareness. 
Initial ideas include translation and publication of environmentally 
themed children's books and more public events with environmental 
themes. 
 
GFOELLER