ECE MAĞAT
30 MINUTES / BLOOMBERGHT
PLASFED Board Chairman Ömer Karadeniz, who participated in the "30 Minutes" program hosted by Ece Mağat and broadcast on BloombergHT, stated that the Deposit Return System (DİS) will be implemented as of January 1, 2025. Explaining that DİS is an important application for the reuse of recyclable products, Karadeniz said, “Before DİS, the Source Separation System (KAS) should be considered, and the necessary infrastructure should be established for this. Local governments and central government should work hand in hand, and our public should be informed.”
PLASFED Board Chairman Ömer Karadeniz, stating that the zero-waste project is extremely important in all developed countries of the world and is also on our country’s agenda, said that they know the Deposit Return System (DİS) will be implemented as of January 1, 2025. Explaining that DİS, which has been delayed for some time, is an inevitable application for both the economy and our environment, Karadeniz said, “The value that recycling will add to our economy is not sufficiently known by our public. Unfortunately, because sufficient regulations have not been made, our public cannot show the necessary sensitivity.” The PLASFED Chairman noted that DİS operates and creates economic value in almost all developed countries, emphasizing that this system is much more important especially for raw material-poor countries like ours. Karadeniz stated that since we cannot produce raw materials, we import them from abroad, and therefore DİS must be implemented for recyclable products to be reused.
Karadeniz emphasized that all kinds of products such as bottles, PET, and glass can be recycled with DİS, saying, “By throwing your used products into the machines prepared for all these products, you will receive a certain amount of money in return. This way, our products will not go to waste, we will not throw our money away, and we will create economic value.” Karadeniz stated that the Source Separation System (KAS) has been implemented in developed countries for approximately 40 years, adding that unfortunately, our country has not yet reached the desired point in this regard.
Emphasizing that they support DİS and that it should be implemented 100%, Karadeniz said, “However, before DİS, KAS should be considered, and the necessary infrastructure should be established for this. We must switch to the separation system without delay. Local governments and central government should work hand in hand on this issue, and our public should be informed.” The PLASFED Chairman stated that some municipalities attach importance to the separation system and have good initiatives, but warned that efforts could be wasted if a certain reserve is not established. Karadeniz explained that they observed that unfortunately, waste collectors sometimes throw the collected separated waste into the same truck, causing the effort made to be wasted.
“As a Federation, we are working to ensure KAS is better understood”
Karadeniz, drawing attention to the necessity of awareness on this issue, stated that education is essential. Karadeniz said that as a Federation, they are doing everything they can to ensure that the importance of KAS is understood by everyone, adding, “We are striving to leave a more beautiful environment for our children. We are working to prevent our foreign currency from escaping abroad. For KAS, we must accelerate our efforts, first with the central government, and then accompanied by local governments. This way, we will eliminate the raw material deficit to some extent.”
This content has been translated using artificial intelligence technology.