Abstract
The present paper provides an overview of the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management in Kazakhstan and focuses in more detail on two major cities, Astana, the new capital and Almaty, the former capital of the country. Legislation, current management policy, facilities and infrastructure, as well as typical solid waste quantity and composition are presented and analysed in detail in the light of the recently approved long-Term waste management plan. The analysis is supported by the implementation of a Decision Support Tool (DSS), which provides insights in waste management needs and supports comparison and ranking of Integrated Waste Management (IWMP) alternatives. Finally, a certain IWMP plan is proposed, which could be used as a basis for further detailed feasibility studies.