Urban waste management: The case of Turkey and Istanbul

Effective municipal solid waste management has been one of the most challenging environmental problems for developing countries, along with growing urbanization, subsequent increasing quantities of solid waste, inadequate infrastructures, and the paucity of policy and legal frameworks. Waste management strategies that aim to prevent the rapid consumption of natural resources and to transform the wastes produced from being a threat to the environment and human health into an input for the economy form the basis of the "sustainable development" approach, which is increasingly being adopted as a priority policy target all over the world. The Model for Urban Waste Management, especially municipal solid waste management for a zero-waste city, should be based on a system in which citizens are involved directly and supported by incentives. This chapter summarizes the amount of waste, waste types and management, and applied methods related to waste management in the world, and describes special studies of the European Union (EU). We also discuss what Turkey (which is going through the EU candidate process) has done and planned regarding waste management. Important steps have been taken in terms of sustainable solid waste management in Turkey and clearly explained in this work. With the latest environmental legislation recycling rates are expected to increase due to the fact that the beverage packaging is subject to a compulsory deposit. In addition, information was given about Istanbul, the city that produces the most waste in Turkey, its developing structure, and what it is doing and planning in the current situation in compliance with legal targets. With the new investments in Istanbul, the amount of materials recovered and the amount of energy produced will be increased, while the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from waste disposal will decrease as well, as there will be a profound reduction in landfill use.