THE GLOBAL WINDOW OF TURKISH FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Global Window of Turkish Food and Agriculture Sector
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Düzce University Agricultural Waste Recycling Application and Research Centre (DÜTAGAM) organised the ‘International Zero Waste Day Panel’ on the occasion of World Zero Waste Day. In the event held at the Cumhuriyet Conference Hall of the University, environmental sustainability, recycling of agricultural wastes and the importance of circular economy were discussed.
‘TEXTILE WASTES WILL BE A FOCUS POINT IN 2025’
Delivering the opening speech, Düzce University Zero Waste Management Coordinator Dr. Nilüfer Ülgüdür stated that zero waste is not only an environmental policy but also a philosophy of life. Indicating that in 2025, textile waste will be the priority agenda, Ülgüdür gave information about the natural resource consumption and environmental impacts of the production process of a polyester t-shirt and said that 100 million tonnes of textile products are produced every year, 92 million tonnes of which become waste.
‘WE TURN WASTES INTO OPPORTUNITIES’
In his speech, DÜTAGAM Director Assoc. Professor Dr. Çağlar Akçay pointed out that wastes are not only environmental but also economic and scientific resources.
“We recycle wastes and turn them into value-added products,” Akçay said that they obtain products such as edible mushrooms, organic compost fertiliser and coloured mulch from many agricultural wastes, especially hazelnut wastes.
‘CIRCULAR ECONOMY, NOT LINEAR, IS A MUST’
Dr. Özgür Doğan from TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Centre discussed the concept of circular economy. Highlighting that the linear economy model based on the ‘make-use-dispose’ approach is unsustainable, Doğan said that 1.5 billion tonnes of food waste is generated worldwide every year, and the economic equivalent of this in Türkiye is 214 billion TL. Underlining that 48 percent of food waste originates from within the home, he drew attention to the importance of reducing waste.
‘WASTE INCREASES AS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES’
Vice Rector Professor Dr. Ali Öztürk emphasised that the amount of waste increases with technological progress and that it is of great importance to recycle these wastes and bring them into the economy.
EMPHASISING THE POWER OF AGRICULTURAL WASTE…
Esra Uzun, Düzce Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry, emphasised the importance of agricultural wastes in terms of environment, economy and future and stated that these wastes should be utilised as renewable energy and industrial raw materials rather than a burden. She gave information about the ministry projects carried out on agricultural wastes…
