Waste disposal project in Turkey - Denizli has done it
Waste management reorganised, greenhouse gases reduced
Model landfill site in Turkey
Rapid population growth, ever increasing numbers of industrial businesses and chaotic, environmentally hazardous land filling; the waste situation had become completely intolerable in the 400,000 inhabitant city of Denizli in south-western Turkey, not far from the world famous tufa terraces of Pamukkale. The streets were strewn with litter, which was rarely collected and often incinerated out in the open. There was no landfill site that complied with Western standards and the city?s authorities were unable to cope with the disposal of the mountains of waste.
Only when the KfW Entwicklungsbank made a EUR 8.3 million Financial Cooperation (FC) loan available to the city in 1999 was it able to tackle the problems systematically. The administration of waste management was reorganised, an infrastructure for the controlled disposal of waste was created, and a cost accounting system was introduced as the basis for a new fees system. Refuse collectors and separators now even have their own cooperative. They are the city's contract partners for the separate collection of recoverable materials.
Improved quality of life
In the new landfill funded by the project, the methane gases produced are harnessed and rendered harmless in an incineration plant. In this way, an average of 150,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents will be saved annually. Over the lifetime of the site, that means three million tonnes. In this way, the project is making a substantial contribution to environmental and climate protection.
Apart from the city's inhabitants, who can now rely on a dependable and environmentally acceptable waste disposal system, there are another 13 communities in the area, with a total population of around 120,000 who will benefit from the new, controlled landfill site.
Denizli has managed to get a grip on its waste. The city has become a cleaner and more pleasant place to live - a good example that can act as a model for others.
Last updated: March 2009
