Hazardous Waste Management in Turkey

An increase in population, energy demand, industrial activities and other technological developments inevitably cause large amount of waste to be produced. It is a known fact that traditional methods for the collection, transportation and disposal of wastes are not capable anymore to prevent health problems and economic losses. Any deficiency in the management of hazardous wastes, which constitute a significant part of solid wastes, has a range of negative effects for environmental health and safety. The aim of this study is to assess the situation of hazardous solid-waste management in Turkey. This was achieved by reviewing the rates of waste generation across the country. Current requirements and challenges in hazardous waste management are also discussed, and suggestions for solving problems are presented.

The study results that the Kocaeli and Izmir, as the two cities with the larger population and industrial activities of Turkey, produces the largest amount of hazardous waste in Turkey. On the other side, Istanbul, which is the mostly populated city with advanced health service, is by far the largest medical waste producer across the country. This is followed by Ankara, the capital city of Turkey and Izmir. Although hazardous waste management in Turkey has improved because of a strong governance and institutional involvement in recent years, efforts directed by scientific research are still required to enable robust waste management. These efforts will greatly aid decision makers such as municipal authorities.