Current practices in hazardous waste management in Turkey

摘要

As a consequence of restrictive national and international regulations; in recent years, efforts for a better management of hazardous wastes in Turkey have increased considerably. In this article, an overview of the current hazardous waste management practices in Turkey is provided. Initial efforts that have started with ratification of Basel Convention in 1994 are followed by substantial progress owing to alignment with the European Union's waste management acquis in early 2000's. Overview of the legislative framework indicates that currently, the rules laid down in legal documents are sufficient to establish an effective hazardous waste management system. However, the implementation and enforcement of the legislation is not complete yet as the implementation requires the considerable improvement of the current infrastructure. The quality of hazardous waste generation data, which is essential for proper design of hazardous waste management system, in Turkey is still of concern therefore, needs further attention. In terms of operational aspects, there are 138 recovery facilities licensed for hazardous waste, four licensed hazardous waste incineration and three licensed hazardous waste disposal facilities throughout Turkey. Due to the fact that established capacities of these facilities are below total hazardous waste generation amounts, new facilities are being planned to be built.