PLASFED Draws Attention to Recycling of Waste
Focus on the importance of source-separated waste recycling for a sustainable world and reducing resource consumption.
Ömer Karadeniz, Chairman of the Board of Plastic Manufacturers Federation (PLASFED), stated: "Due to the lack of a source-separation system in our country, our waste loses its economic value and a significant portion cannot be recycled. For this reason, a source-separation system must be established in our country as soon as possible."
Emphasizing that packaging waste has been source-separated in Europe for many years and does not become contaminated through contact with food waste, Ömer Karadeniz noted, "The world is now transitioning from the linear produce-consume-discard principle to a circular economy model.
In essence, this emerges as a necessity rather than a choice, because the reckless use of our world's resources has begun to negatively affect our living standards. This is where society must undergo an intellectual transformation toward the circular economy and move away from a "waste" mentality.
When we look at the fundamentals, nearly all waste generated by humanity consists of recyclable materials. Products made from materials such as plastic, metal, paper and glass can be converted back into raw materials after undergoing various processes, while organic waste can be converted into fertilizer through composting.
If a properly functioning system is established, solid waste landfilling can be eliminated entirely," he said.
Deposit system a positive step!
Noting that the deposit system planned to be implemented in 2022 is a highly effective system used in many European countries, particularly Germany, Karadeniz stated, "If measures are taken to prevent abuses in the deposit system to be implemented, it will be a major gain for our country.
The deposit system will initially cover beverage packaging and will later encompass packaging across a wider spectrum. In this way, packaging under the deposit system will be prevented from being discarded into nature or becoming contaminated with organic waste.
In this context, as PLASFED, we consider the establishment of the deposit system, which we have been advocating for on various platforms for many years, as an important step taken in the right direction," he said.
Essential for the European Green Deal!
Stating that the importance of the recycling sector will increase day by day within the framework of the Green Deal set out by the European Union with its climate-neutral continent target, which is the most important traditional export market for our country, Ömer Karadeniz said: "Another important point that should not be overlooked at this stage is that within the framework of the agreement, Europe has demonstrated a will to restrict waste exports outside the EU.
This will pose a problem for countries like ours whose recycling sector meets a significant portion of waste needs through imports from Europe.
If we also take into account that the agreement will increase the obligation for imported products in Europe to use secondary raw materials, the importance of a recycling sector in our country that converts all waste generated domestically into secondary raw materials for our manufacturing industry becomes clear once again," he said.
