Turkey's new Zero Waste Regulation
by Ellen Thornton at 09:50 in Environmental, Circular Economy, Emerging
On 12th July, Turkey published the Regulation on Zero Waste (the ‘Regulation') in the Official Gazette, number 30829. This introduces the procedures and principles of the zero waste management system to be implemented in enterprises and industrial plants, such as airports, educational and healthcare institutions, manufacturing facilities and many more.
The Regulation aims to establish and develop a zero waste management system which will protect the environment, human health and resources in the waste management processes under the principles of sustainable development alongside the effective management of raw materials and natural resources. A zero waste certificate will be issued to establishments where the system is mandatory, in addition to any who wish to establish such a system on a voluntary basis.
Under the Regulation, the following principles must be followed for the efficient use of resources in production, consumption and service processes:
- Waste prevention by following the principles in the Regulation
- Waste reduction in cases where prevention is not possible
- Assessments of the possibility of re-use regarding products and materials
- Compliance with the implementation schedule for the implementation of the zero waste management systems
- Reporting under the Regulation
There are four different zero waste certificates; basic level zero waste certificate, silver zero waste certificate, gold zero waste certificate and platinum zero waste certificate. Organised industrial zones, shopping malls, airports, train and bus terminals, accommodation facilities with a capacity of 50 rooms or more are obligated to obtain the basic level zero waste certificate. After 12 months of obtaining the basic level, these places can apply for a silver, gold or platinum zero waste certificate. The detailed point scoring system for silver, gold and platinum zero waste certificate will be determined by Ministry of Environment and Urbanization.
There are 4 separate implementation dates, starting with 1st June 2020 for state institutions and organisations. If the administrative sanctions are determined in accordance with the Environmental Law and Misdemeanour Law, there will be fines ranging from 1,000 TL to 1,000,000 TL for those who are not compliant.
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