Uzbekistan to link electricity payments to waste collection debt starting August

According to the Agency for Waste Management and Circular Economy, residents who fail to pay for waste removal services may temporarily lose access to electricity payments.

Under the new procedure:

• By the 3rd day of each month, information about debtors will be transferred from the Toza Makon electronic billing system to the billing system of Regional Electric Networks.
• By the 5th day of the month, subscribers who are in debt will receive an SMS notification from short number 2100, issued by Regional Electric Networks.
• These subscribers will then have 5 days to repay the outstanding amount.

If the debt is not cleared within the specified time, the ability to pay for electricity will be temporarily restricted. This restriction will be lifted automatically once the full amount is paid.

The new rule will not apply to debts accumulated before June 30, 2025. It will only concern outstanding waste removal fees incurred after July 1, and take effect from August 1.

Sanitation service providers are held accountable for the accuracy of billing data. If services are delivered late or inadequately, customers will be credited for the days not served.

For suggestions or complaints related to the waste management system or service quality, citizens are encouraged to contact the Agency for Waste Management via the short number 1205.

This regulation stems from a law signed by the president in March, which ties electricity bill payments to the timely payment of household waste collection fees. The law officially came into force on June 8.