Аннотация
The article presents the results of an assessment of the impact of ash dumps on the natural environment in the conditions of coal burning at the Ekibastuz deposit in Kazakhstan. It is shown that huge amounts of ash dumps have accumulated on the territory of the Ekibastuz GRES-2 ash storage facility and in the Almaty region as a result of the activities of three thermal power plants, which significantly pollute the environment. The possibilities of obtaining high-demand building materials from them have been identified.