Background. Cheese whey is the main by-product of dairy processing and is still discarded as waste in many countries, including Kyrgyzstan. Yet whey contains high-value proteins, lactose, minerals and bio-actives that can be recovered through circular-economy business models (CEBMs) and converted into food ingredients, biomaterials or energy. Whey can be valorized along three circular-economy pathways such as food-ingredient recovery (whey-protein concentrate/isolate and edible lactose), material conversion to ethanol, lactic acid, polyhydroxyalkanoate bioplastics and polyurethane polyols, and energy-and nutrient recovery through anaerobic digestion followed by struvite fertilizer production. A qualitative case study was carried out at three largest dairy plants in the Issyk-Kul region. On-site audits and  semistructured interviews mapped whey volumes, current disposal routes and managers‘ views on valorization.
Results and conclusions. The plants together generate ≈ 156 tons of liquid whey per day, but only one spray-dries about 1 ton/day into powder. The remainder is used as low-value animal feed or discharged after minimal treatment. National demand for processed whey is nonetheless rising: imports of whey powder grew from 0.09 kt in 2020 to 1.47 kt in 2023. Interviewees identified three CEBMs as technically feasible: a hub-and-spoke toll-drying scheme, leased membrane equipment for on-site whey concentration, and manure-plus-whey co-digestion for biogas and struvite fertilizer. The impediments to whey valorization mirror global barriers, including inadequate investment, lack of managerial support, absence of governmental regulation, seasonal and scattered milk supply, weak cold-chain logistics and deficiency  in technological.