Turkey Must Now Collect Raw Materials, Not Waste

Ömer Karadeniz, Chairman of the Board of PLASFED, said that the Deposit Management System (DMS) implemented nationwide in Turkey is not only an environmentally beneficial practice, but also has strategic importance in terms of bringing high-quality secondary raw materials needed by the recycling industry back into the economy.

Karadeniz stated that the system aims to bring approximately 25 billion packaging units back into the economy annually and generate TRY 30 billion in economic savings, adding that the real added value would emerge from converting recyclable waste into quality raw materials to be used in production.

A new era in recycling
Under the Deposit Management System, plastic, glass and aluminium beverage packaging marked with DOA (Packagings with Deposits) are placed on the market with deposit application. Consumers can return empty packaging to deposit return machines or authorized collection points and receive their deposit amounts back.

According to the targets set by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, when the system reaches full capacity, approximately 25 billion packaging units will be brought back into the economy annually and approximately TRY 30 billion in economic savings will be generated.

"Every package is essentially a valuable raw material"
PLASFED Chairman Ömer Karadeniz, drawing attention to the economic value of recyclable packaging, said:

"As the plastics industry, we have never viewed waste as garbage. Every recyclable package is a valuable raw material that can be brought back into production. Today, every piece of plastic, glass or metal packaging that goes to waste is a value lost from the economy. Thanks to the Deposit Management System, particularly PET beverage packaging will be collected in a cleaner and sorted manner. This will increase the quality of recycled raw materials, increase the usage rate in production, and make an important contribution to reducing the need for imported raw materials."

Will provide strategic support to the industry
Karadeniz noted that the announced TRY 30 billion in savings represents only the visible portion of the total economic contribution the system will provide.

Stating that recycling facilities will access higher quality raw materials thanks to the Deposit Management System, Karadeniz said this will reduce production costs, save energy and natural resources, and reduce dependence on imported raw materials.

Recalling that Turkey has one of Europe's strong plastic recycling infrastructures, Karadeniz emphasized that the system would also contribute to more efficient use of existing recycling capacity.

Emphasis on source separation
Noting that PLASFED has been working for many years to promote the Source Separation System (SSS), Karadeniz stated that the Deposit Management System is an important complement to this structure.

Karadeniz concluded his assessment with the following words:
"The deposit system is a very important step. However, real success will be possible through the widespread adoption of source separation culture across all segments of society. Separate collection of recyclable waste in homes, workplaces and all living spaces will ensure that the quality raw materials needed by the industry are sustainably brought back into the economy. When the Source Separation System and the Deposit Management System work together, the products we regard as waste will be transformed into high-value economic resources."