Ecohub: a platform for creating environmental projects and innovations has been opened in the Karaganda region

The plastic lid turns into a crumb with the help of a bicycle shredder, and then into a bright keychain with the inscription "I Love Karaganda". This is an unusual way to talk about waste recycling used in Ecohub. On the basis of Karaganda Technical University named after Abylkas Saginov, the first site in the city was opened, where ecology is combined with technology, student initiatives and practical experiments to turn ideas into real projects and solutions.

There are bicycle shredders for plastic recycling, containers for separate waste collection and areas for master classes. In the near future, additional equipment will be available that allows you to melt recycled plastic and create various products from it — from key chains and souvenirs to objects of the urban environment.

According to Evgeny Mukhamedzhanov, the founder of the ECO Network project and the Ecohub network in Kazakhstan, the idea of such spaces grew out of many years of work on the formation of an ecological culture.

— We have been working in this area for about eight years. Ecohub is designed as a central platform where students, schoolchildren, companies and anyone interested in ecology can come. Workshops are held here, you can get acquainted with recycling technologies and even make a plastic product with your own hands, which was previously considered garbage. This format helps people see that waste is a resource," says Evgeny.

The creation of Ecohub was a continuation of the "Ecological Classes" project, which is already being implemented in schools in the region. Experience has shown that interest in the topic of sustainable development is growing among young people, so the idea arose to combine educational initiatives, startups and volunteer projects on one platform. The new center will become part of the emerging ecological ecosystem of the region. Environmental actions and joint projects with companies are also planned here.

— We plan to connect regional schools to Ecohub. Previously created eco-classes will be able to present their projects and developments here. In the future, this will allow combining the educational, scientific and entrepreneurial environment around environmental initiatives," said Deputy Akim of Karaganda region Alibek Aldeney at the opening of the hub.

The university environment plays an important role in the development of the project. Based on the technical university, Ecohub will become a space for new engineering solutions and student startups.

— Our Ecohub is being created as an educational, demonstration and practical space. Students will be able to study the principles of sustainable development and immediately apply them in practice: get acquainted with plastic recycling technologies, participate in workshops and create products from recycled materials. We expect that new student projects in the field of environmental technologies and circular economy will appear here," said Saule Sagintayeva, Rector of Karaganda Technical University.

Karaganda became the third city in the country after Astana and Almaty, where such a center appeared.