7.6 million drinks containers have been collected and recycled during the first five days of the roll-out of the new recycling scheme in Turkey: very positive figures which the Turkish Minister for the Environment, Murat Kurum, has described as a remarkable success in the country’s efforts to protect the environment.
The Deposit-Return System (in Turkish Depozitosu Olan Ambalajlar, or DOA), which began operating nationwide on 1 July following an initial trial phase, rewards consumers with 1 Turkish lira for each container made of plastic, glass or aluminium that they return via the automated machines or designated collection points.
The initiative aims to reduce environmental pollution, increase recycling rates for single-use packaging to 90%, and recover valuable materials for industry and the economy. Since its launch, it has certainly sparked considerable interest among the public, with queues forming at numerous collection points and some people even recycling dozens of items of packaging.
According to reports in the Turkish media, Murat Kurum released the figures for the first five days of the new DOA system’s operation, highlighting the programme’s contribution to the Turkish economy: “On the fifth day, the number of containers we had collected through DOA reached 7 million 600 thousand. We don’t throw them away, we recycle them; whilst protecting our environment, we continue to contribute both to our own pockets and to the national economy,” he said.
Via a mobile app, users receive money for every container recycled
The new system includes the free DOA app, available to download on mobiles, which allows users to locate their nearest return machine. Users can deposit plastic and glass bottles, as well as aluminium containers bearing the DOA logo, into the machines listed on the app. Once returned, the corresponding amount will be credited to the digital wallet within the app installed on the user’s mobile phone, from where they can transfer it to a bank account, withdraw it as cash from ATMs, or use it to make purchases at shops participating in the scheme.
Once scanned and collected, the returned containers enter the recycling chain. In addition to the automated machines, supermarket chains, food shops, newsagents, hotels, restaurants and cafés also serve as authorised container collection points.
Once the new recycling system is fully rolled out across Turkey, the authorities expect to be able to collect up to 25,000 million beverage containers each year, which will generate an estimated economic value of 30,000 million lira (around 560 million euros) annually thanks to increased recycling rates and the recovery of resources.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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