Kazakhstan is developing a National Cleanliness Standard in accordance with a directive from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

At a Government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Alibek Kuantyrov presented approaches to developing the standard, The Caspian Post reports, citing Qazinform.

The National Cleanliness Standard is proposed as a system comprising five thematic pillars: environmental education, environmental volunteering, cleanliness and improvement of populated areas, urban greening, and the cleanliness of natural areas.

A designated government body will be responsible for developing and implementing each pillar, while the Government will coordinate the overall process.

According to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, around 10,000 illegal dumpsites have been cleared, 7 million trees planted, and more than 2,000 volunteer projects carried out since the launch of the Taza Qazaqstan initiative.

Schools have also conducted more than 560,000 environmental education sessions. In addition, more than 57,000 citizen requests concerning site improvement and sanitary conditions have been submitted through TazaQazBot.