Despite the fact that the republican campaign "Clean Kazakhstan" is in full swing in our country, residents of the Karatau district of Shymkent are concerned about the lack of timely removal of household solid waste. Over the past month, garbage containers in the courtyards of some apartment buildings have overflowed and are starting to spill out. This situation is causing inconvenience to the daily lives of the residents of the district.

Residents of several microdistricts in the Karatau district often raise the issue of garbage. They say that the garbage collection company is not performing its duties properly.

"Usually we pay for garbage removal every month. But for the last four weeks, no one has emptied the containers. Now people just leave the waste nearby. When the wind blows, everything is scattered in the yard. Our children are forced to play in such a place ," says one of the residents, Ainur Kasymova.

This opinion is supported by other residents, who are posting photos and videos on social media, trying to attract the attention of authorities.

According to experts, the long-term non-collection of household waste poses not only an aesthetic but also a sanitary and epidemiological threat .

As garbage decomposes and rots, it produces an unpleasant odor and increases the number of flies and rodents. This situation contributes to the spread of infectious diseases. It is especially dangerous for children, because they play in the yards.

The Karatau district akimat has confirmed the residents' complaints. According to akimat representatives, the problem arose due to a number of reasons.

"Our district is developing rapidly, new residential buildings and microdistricts are being built. Accordingly, the volume of garbage is also increasing. In addition, some of the equipment of the contractor company has broken down. To resolve this issue, work is underway to attract additional vehicles and file a claim against the contractor ," said a representative of the district akimat.

Interestingly, at this very moment, the city is holding a "Clean Kazakhstan" campaign . Civil servants, volunteers, and students are participating in it, cleaning the central streets and parks from garbage.

However, the situation in the Karatau district casts doubt on the effectiveness of this initiative. Residents say that daily cleaning in the yard is much more important than actions in the center.

"It's easy to organize an action, take pictures, and report. But what we really need is daily cleanliness. If the garbage is not taken out on time, no action will help ," says resident Bakytzhan Akhmetov.

Environmental experts believe that this situation cannot be solved with one-time measures. The city must systematically strengthen control and accountability.

1. Increasing the responsibility of contracting companies - imposing fines or attracting new companies in case of non-fulfillment of contract requirements.

2. Increase the number of containers - there is a lack of garbage dumps in new microdistricts.

3. Attracting additional equipment – old vehicles often break down, so new equipment is needed.

4. Citizen activism – every citizen is not indifferent to the problem in their own yard. Ecologists believe that the problem needs to be considered more broadly. They argue that it is necessary to develop a culture of sorting and recycling waste , not just waste disposal.

"We just collect garbage and take it to a landfill. In many countries, household waste is sorted and recycled. If such a system is introduced, the volume of garbage will decrease, and the sanitary condition of the city will improve ," says ecologist Gulmira Sadykova.

Of course, garbage collection is the responsibility of municipal services. But in some cases, residents themselves exacerbate the problem. Some people throw garbage not in special containers, but next to them or on the side of the road. There are also frequent cases of construction waste being dumped in untidy places.

"If every resident took responsibility for their yard and the authorities fully fulfilled their duties, the problem would be solved much faster ," local activists say.

Residents of Karatau district believe in the promises of the akimat and expect garbage collection to resume in the coming days. For them, this is not only a matter of cleanliness, but also a situation directly related to the quality of life and the health of children.

If the "Clean Kazakhstan" campaign aims to promote environmental culture among the population, it should first of all start with daily cleanliness . If residents see piles of garbage in their yards, then the campaign loses its meaning.

The situation in the Karatau district is an important lesson for the city. It showed us that environmental campaigns and one-time cleanups are not enough. A real "Clean Kazakhstan" is systematic daily work, the responsibility of public utilities, and a conscious attitude of residents.