Turkish Environment Agency President Nurullah Öztürk held a press conference on the use of the Deposit-Bearing Packaging system, which will be rolled out across Turkey as of today.
Stating that the climate crisis, efficient use of resources and waste management are not just environmental but also economic and strategic issues, Öztürk said recycling systems have become one of the important tools of sustainable development and green transformation.
Öztürk said they are resolutely continuing this transformation with the 'Zero Waste' movement carried out under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and under the auspices of Emine Erdoğan, and noted: 'The Deposit-Bearing Packaging system is one of the most important reflections of this vision. As of today, our DOA system, having completed its national integration process, begins implementation in 81 provinces and 973 districts.'
'With this step, our country is becoming an important resource management model where beverage containers are brought back into the economy. Approximately 25 billion beverage containers are consumed every year in Turkey. Although a significant portion of these containers is a valuable resource that can be brought back into production, they remain outside the system. We are implementing the DOA system to say 'stop' to this loss.'
'1 LIRA INCENTIVE FEE CAN BE EARNED FOR EACH CONTAINER' Öztürk stated that the DOA system is a holistic system that enables the separate collection at source, digital tracking, and reintroduction into the economy of plastic, glass and aluminum beverage containers.
'As of today, our citizens can earn a 1 lira incentive fee for each eligible container by delivering DOA-labeled plastic, glass, and aluminum beverage containers to deposit return machines or manual return points,' said Öztürk, adding, 'For individual returns, we have set a daily upper limit of 200 containers to support the fair and sustainable functioning of the system. The incentive fee will be transferred to the DOA wallet. Our citizens can transfer their accumulated balances to their bank accounts, withdraw them from ATMs, or use them for shopping.'
Öztürk stated that the system consists of 3 phases, and that they tested Phase 1 last year with a pilot application in Sakarya, saying, 'Today we are moving to Phase 2, the national integration process. The DOA system has now reached a level to be implemented in our 81 provinces and 973 districts. The third and final phase will be the full expansion period.'
Pointing out that their goal is to transform the system into a permanent structure that operates with the same standard across all parts of Turkey and that citizens can easily access, Öztürk said: 'Approximately 25 billion beverage containers become waste every year. When these containers are brought together, they create a volume that would cover about 100 thousand football fields. In other words, enough plastic, glass and aluminum containers to fill about 100 thousand football fields are released into nature every year. We are implementing one of the world's largest deposit management systems to change this picture.'
Öztürk stated that within a year, they will put into service at least one deposit return point in every neighborhood of Turkey that citizens can easily reach, and said, 'We will also continue to support our businesses in this process. While the number of deposit return machines increases, we will provide the necessary field equipment to manual return points and ensure their strong participation in the system.'
'APPROXIMATELY 65 PERCENT OF THE 25 BILLION CONTAINERS OCCUR IN HOTELS, RESTAURANTS AND CAFES' Öztürk stated that they are running the DOA system with a comprehensive infrastructure where the entire process, from producer to consumer, from return points to recycling facilities, is managed digitally.
Stating that markets, supermarkets, grocery stores and kiosks serve as return points for citizens, while hotels, restaurants and cafes contribute significantly to the recycling chain by bringing the containers generated within their own premises into the system, Öztürk said: 'I want to emphasize the role of our hotel, restaurant and cafe businesses. Approximately 65 percent of the 25 billion containers we mentioned occur in our hotels, restaurants and cafes. Therefore, every container collected in these businesses will directly contribute to our recycling and recovery goals. Moreover, our businesses will also receive an incentive fee of 20 kurus for each DOA-labeled container they deliver in bulk.'
Öztürk explained that businesses will complete their registration through the depot information management system and work with authorized operators, adding, 'The collection, transportation and verification processes will be carried out safely, regularly and traceably thanks to this structure.'
Drawing attention to the fact that the DOA system will enable more efficient use of natural resources, Öztürk continued his remarks as follows: 'We will ensure that the high-quality recycled raw material needed by our industry is met from domestic sources at a higher rate, and we will accelerate and strengthen the circular economy. The economic impact of this transformation is also extremely important. We foresee a 35 to 40 percent annual reduction in the import of beverage container raw materials. This development will positively affect production costs, reduce foreign dependency, and contribute significantly to reducing the trade deficit. We predict that the DOA system will bring an annual economic value of approximately 30 billion liras to the Turkish economy. In the next 20-30 year period, we expect the system to create employment for 20 thousand people.'
MACHINES USED IN THE FIELD WERE DEVELOPED BY DOMESTIC MANUFACTURERS Stating that they ensure strategic raw materials are brought back into the economy within Turkey, Öztürk expressed that the DOA is not only an environmental practice but also a matter of resource security.
Drawing attention to the fact that the machines used in the field were developed by domestic manufacturers, Öztürk said that the technology Turkey has developed and the operational model it has established in this field will serve as an important reference for many countries that will establish a deposit system in the future. After his speech, Öztürk went to a DOA machine and demonstrated how the device works.
