Solid Waste: A Problem or an Invaluable Resource?

Are we aware of how we are over-using the natural resources of the planet and about the "Earth Overshoot Day" which is August 1 for 2018 and coming earlier each year? What about the tremendous economic loss of huge quantities of solid wastes disposed of by dumping?

The "waste" issue has been considered over the years as an important environmental problem in Turkey that has been discussed from different points of view including different solution alternatives for their disposal. However, with the adoption of "Circular Economy" and "Zero Waste" concepts worldwide, the impacts of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the transition to "Low Carbon Economy" in Turkey, especially since 2015, wastes have begun to be considered as a "solution" rather than a "problem"; as a "valuable resource" to be re-used as a raw material, rather than "garbage". Along with increased attention to environmental issues, the subjects of "integrated/sustainable waste management hierarchy", "climate change", "renewable energy", "waste to energy" and others have become major topics worldwide.

The "Linear Economy Model", commonly referred to as a "take, make, waste" approach used in recent years worldwide, has demonstrated that existing natural resources would not be sufficient to ensure a healthy and prosperous life for the world population.

Projections have indicated that the transition towards the "Circular Economy Model", which envisages a change in production/consumption behaviors based on zero waste and reuse/recycling approaches, will help not only environmental protection and prevention of rapid natural resource depletion, but can also unlock over 4-5 trillion dollars of additional economic growth potential by 2030. The concepts of "Industrial Symbiosis" and "Waste Exchange System", where the waste of one industry becomes a resource/secondary raw material for another industry, have gained increasing attention as a sustainable and economically beneficial option in terms of growth potential and new employment opportunities and have recently begun to be applied in Turkey within the context of the "Circular Economy Model". The loss of waste due to dumping in landfill sites through the linear economy model can be recovered by the circular economy concept through re-introducing these wastes into the market as a raw material or energy resource. According to the Solid Waste Control Regulation of Turkey (dated 05.04.2005 and Official Gazette No. 25777), "solid waste" covers solid matter to be disposed of by the manufacturer in a sanitary manner for public peace and health, especially in terms of environmental protection, and treatment sludges. The Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) revealed that Turkey's total population was 79 million 814 thousand at the end of 2016 and is estimated to reach over 80 million in 2019. The rapid growth of the population and consequent rapid consumption cause the generation of huge amounts of solid waste. TURKSTAT presented that Turkey's waste generation was around 31.5 million tons, of which 27.13 million tons arose from municipal wastes (87.18% of total) as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Turkey Waste Distribution (Ministry of Environment and Urbanization of Turkey, 2016)

Among different waste management applications including composting, incineration, sanitary landfill/open dump and others in Turkey, the most commonly used disposal method for waste is sanitary landfilling. However, the adopted "Circular Economy Package" by the E.C. set a common EU target to reduce landfill to a maximum of 10% of municipal waste and a target for recycling 75% of packaging waste by 2030. These are considered very high targets to be achieved under Turkey's circumstances. According to data distributed by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization of Turkey, 86.7% of waste generated in 2016 was disposed of by landfilling only. TURKSTAT 2016 data also demonstrated that 44 million tons of waste, of which 6 million tons were hazardous, were disposed of at 134 sanitary landfill sites in Turkey.

The targets within the frame of "Turkey National Action Plan for Waste Management" were therefore set to reduce landfill to 65% of municipal waste and recycling to 35% of packaging waste by 2023.

Taking these facts and increasing population growth into consideration, the importance of "waste segregation at source" to reduce the amount of waste to be disposed of at landfill sites becomes inevitable. Recent studies conducted on waste characterization at landfill sites have shown that around 25% of landfilled municipal wastes comprises valuable recyclable wastes, which are currently lost economically through landfilling. The separate collection of these recyclable wastes at the source and consequent segregation at waste recycling facilities by the municipalities will ensure the return of these valuable materials such as paper, cardboard and plastics into the system in an appropriate manner. The separate collection of recyclable wastes will both reduce the amount of waste to be disposed of, decrease the greenhouse gas emissions generated from landfills and ensure the return of recyclable wastes into the system to generate revenue from waste through the prevention of waste loss at sanitary and open landfills.

In Turkey, with the adoption and rapid transition to "Zero Waste" philosophy by all national/international institutions, mainly the public and private sectors, very

important efforts and projects have been realized. The increasing number of public awareness programs on responsible consumption and waste segregation, training programs/workshops/meetings on sustainable/integrated waste management policies and implementation of worldwide successful case studies adapted to our country's specific conditions are some of these remarkable steps. The financial constraints required for the realization of public and private investments and development of domestic industry and technology remain an issue being addressed.

In addition to a strong technical background for the realization of these projects, the need for qualified technical experts and personnel is another important issue.

The "Young Professional Groups (YPG)" Program recently initiated by the Turkish National Committee on Solid Waste (TNCSW) and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) is one of the successful attempts aimed at improving the technical background in Turkey. The target of this program was to establish local and regional networks with researchers (under 35 years old) from all over the world, mainly from the Balkans, Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. To fulfill the mission, the researchers undertake a range of initiatives, including environment, sustainable management, solid waste and others, and develop and promote projects in their country, share their best practices and carry out collaborative projects in the YPG Network. Turkey was elected as the center for the "Regional Young Professional Program". All these encouraging developments have revealed that there is very significant progress in Turkey in the waste sector; the shift and adoption of the "Circular Economy Model" has been efficiently implemented by all sectors and studies have been effectively initiated in accordance with the set targets from the points of view of environment, public health and economy. However, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2018 Report has warned that there are only "20 years" to take the required precautions for the control of "climate change" to avoid irreversible and catastrophic environmental effects and has alerted all sectors to undertake much greater efforts and responsibilities. With this awareness, we should act responsibly without wasting any more time, not just for our children or future generations, but to leave a livable future also for ourselves. B. Aylin Alagöz Boğaziçi University Turkish National Committee on Solid Wastes Board Member  

References •Republic of Turkey Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, Solid Waste Control Regulation of Turkey, dated 05.04.2005 and Official Gazette No. 25777 •Republic of Turkey Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, "National Waste Management and Action Plan", 2016. •https://www.ipcc.ch/ •http://www.skdturkiye.org/blog/dongusel-ekonomiye-gecis-rekabette-one-gecmek-icin-hizli-adaptasyon-sart •http://www.turkstat.gov.tr/ •https://ec.europa.eu/commission/priorities/jobs-growth-and-investment/towards-circular-economy_en#documents •https://www.overshootday.org/