The final stage of the student project competition “CYCLELAB: Ecology of the Future” is taking place in Astana. The event is organized by the Association of Secondary Raw Materials Recyclers of Kazakhstan and JSC “Zhasyl Damu,” co-organized by L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, with the support of the general sponsor, Bank CenterCredit. Following the first stage, 10 best projects were selected by an expert commission out of 31 submitted applications.

Students aged 16 to 30 from colleges and universities of Astana, Akmola, and Karaganda regions participated in the competition. Participants presented projects in key areas of sustainable development, including waste recycling technologies, solutions for separate waste collection, smart sorting systems, eco-design of packaging, digital logistics tools, and environmental education.

Based on the evaluation of the expert jury, three winners will be selected from among the 10 finalists — the authors of the most promising and well-developed projects. In the final stage, participants present their initiatives competing for the prize fund.

The projects are evaluated by a professional jury consisting of representatives from the recycling industry, government sector, business, and the environmental community: Chairman of the Board of the Association of Secondary Raw Materials Recyclers of Kazakhstan Batyrbek Aubakirov, Deputy Director of the Corporate Business Branch of Bank CenterCredit Asset Kusainbekov, Chief Manager of the Waste Management Organization Department of JSC “Zhasyl Damu” Rustem Uskenbayev, environmentalist and eco-activist Aidana Kydyrova, expert of the Municipal Waste Management Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan Damigul Rakhmanberdieva, as well as sustainable development expert Asyl Okapova.

“We see a high level of youth engagement and the quality of the presented ideas. It is especially important that the projects are focused on practical application and are capable of making a real contribution to the development of the waste management system in Kazakhstan,” noted Batyrbek Aubakirov, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Secondary Raw Materials Recyclers of Kazakhstan.

The CYCLELAB competition plays an important role in shaping environmental culture and supporting young innovators. It contributes to the development of innovative solutions in waste recycling, promotes the principles of sustainable development, and strengthens cooperation between the government, business, and society.

The award ceremony, with a total prize fund of 3,700,000 tenge, will take place in April 2026. The organizers plan to scale the initiative and continue developing the CYCLELAB platform as an effective tool for supporting environmental projects and training specialists for Kazakhstan’s green economy.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/ecogeo/press/news/details/1185445?lang=kk