THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
Related Articles
Press release…
The recycling industry is becoming a sector that all developed countries support with public power and the rate of compulsory use in production is increasing.
Berat Güzelel, General Manager of Batı Polimer, which is among the biggest raw material suppliers of the Turkish plastics industry, pointed out that only 8 percent of the global plastic consumption, which is 370 million tonnes per year, is recycled today.
Güzelel said, “While the natural resources of the world are rapidly depleting, the principles of Circular Economy will be in the near future. It will be the first agenda item of all countries. As Turkiye, we cannot stay out of this game. We are entering a period where all industrial waste, especially plastic, is the first link of the added value chain in production.”
// TURKEY RANKS 6 IN PLASTIC WASTE IMPORT
Reminding that Turkiye ranks sixth among the countries importing the highest amount of scrap plastic in the world, Güzelel emphasized that it is vital to supply the recycled plastic waste, which must be used in production processes, from domestic sources.
// THE MOST CONSUMERS AND THE MOST RECYCLING COUNTRIES ARE THE SAME
Indicating that the countries that export the most scrap plastic in the world, especially Germany and Japan, are also the countries with the highest plastic consumers in the world, Güzelel explained, “Of course, this cannot be a coincidence. Since these countries recycle plastics by separating them at the source, they use these products in the production of their own countries and export the excess to countries like ours. In other words, they earn money while producing, recycling and exporting the surplus to countries like Turkiye. On the other hand, we still read the expressions ‘we import garbage’ in the press and social media.”
// “RECYCLING STILL CONSIDERED AS COLLECTING SCRAP PAPERS IN THE STREETS”
Emphasizing that the recycling industry is a sector where high technology is increasingly being used, Güzelel added, “We have a long way to go in the recycling of all industrial and domestic waste, especially plastic, in our country. When it comes to recycling, our society still and unfortunately understands some people who collect waste in the streets.”
“However, all over the world, recycling is rapidly advancing towards becoming a knowledge- and capital-intensive sector. Today, between 300 and 350 kg of plastic is used in a middle segment automobile and 75 percent of these plastics contain recyclable content. Recycled products are reused as plastic in the automotive industry. In order for vehicles produced in our country to be exported to EU countries, they will need to use an rising amount of recycled plastic every year,” Güzelel concluded…
