Iremcon News

Gathering for “Economy in Waste, Waste in Economy”

International Authorities Gathered in Istanbul to Discuss Waste Management and Economy in Combating Global Climate Change. Mr. Sadulla Duraku, Minister of Environment and Physical Planning of the Republic of North Macedonia, Mr. Fatmir Matoshi, Kosovo Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, and Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Birpınar, Deputy Minister of Environment and Urbanization, attended the IREMCON International Environment Conference held on March 28-29, 2019.

 

Delegates from 14 countries attended the 3rd IREMCON International Environment Conference that is supported by the TR Ministry of Environment and Urbanization and continuously raises the bar for success in the field of environmental management and makes important strides in waste financing, boosting the recycling economy. A large number of international delegates showed interest in the 3rd IREMCON that is organized in cooperation with IFAT EURASIA this year. International collaborations play a vital role in raising environmental awareness and advancing environmental protection at the regional and global levels.

 

Integrated waste management plays a key role in environmental protection efforts and makes a great contribution to the circular economy. Promoting and supporting all activities and organizations for environmental protection, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization once again supports IREMCON. The conference, which took place on 28 & 29 March, was attended by various countries, and in particular, Germany, Macedonia, Romania, Greece, Iran, Kosovo, Montenegro, Croatia, Lebanon, and Russia. The panel “The Importance of International Cooperation for Sustainable Development” moderated by Prof. Dr. Caner Zanbak in the scope of the conference drew considerable interest.

 

The fourth leg of the conference, in which approx. 40 speakers took the floor this year, is going to be held in the Balkans next year. Making a statement before the conference, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Birpınar noted that the studies in the field of waste management in Turkey, which also drew global attention, gained momentum: “Turkey has come to a position to share its profound experience in environmental management with the global arena. The participation of delegates from various countries to the IREMCON International Environment Conference is clear proof of this. When we evaluate the waste sector in general, it is evident that the waste sector has a significant impact on climate change as one of the main sectors causing methane and carbon dioxide emissions.

 

The waste sector has the highest share in the total greenhouse gas emission, following the energy sector. “WASTE IS A VALUABLE RAW MATERIAL” Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Birpınar said that waste management is one of the major problems of the current world and waste is a valuable raw material. Mr. Birpınar said, “This raw material should be brought into the economy. We have adopted a new approach toward waste. This new approach is holistic. Using this approach, we aim to use resources more efficiently, prevent waste and reduce the amount of waste produced with consumption at minimum levels, sort and collect wastes separately at source, recycle the separately collected wastes, convert organic wastes into compost and fertilizer and briefly, to reach ‘zero waste’ within the scope of the circular economy approach by eliminating the need to send wastes to storage and incineration.

 

Thus, we implement the Zero Waste project in our buildings, especially in the Ministry and the Presidential Complex. This process was launched under the auspices of Mrs. Emine ERDOĞAN and our target is to expand it across Turkey.” The 3rd IREMCON International Environment Conference was held in Istanbul on 28-29 March 2019 with the contributions of TR Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning, under the Main Sponsorship of AKADEMİ ÇEVRE A.Ş. and in cooperation with IFAT Eurasia. The “IREMCON International Environment Conference”, organized with the support of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization under the theme of “Combating Global Climate Change and Strengthening International Cooperation in Waste Management”, started with a stand in silence and singing of the Turkish National Anthem.

 

The contributors of the conference are: As Golden Sponsors: BENLİ GERİ DÖNÜŞÜM, specialized in domestic and industrial waste management services, wooden pallet recycling, EPDM rubber recycling and facility Contracting, enabling its customers to earn more and more sustainable income from recycled commodities with its effect of offering more environmentally friendly solutions; İZAYDAŞ, established in the early 1990s with the aim of preventing air, groundwater and soil pollution of Izmit Metropolitan Municipality and preventing pollution in the İzmit Gulf, eliminating the odor problem, improving urban land use and preventing value loss, protecting public and environmental health and becoming the pride of Turkey with its management during the last ten years; LASDER, successfully carrying out the collection of End-of-Life Tires (ELT) from dealers, service providers, repairers and similar organizations throughout Turkey, their transportation and recovery with the proper method for years, and breaking a record by collecting 1 million tons of end-of-life tires; TÜMAKÜDER, playing an active role in the collection, transportation, recycling and disposal of waste batteries since the day it was established, in order to improve the environment, protect environmental health and prevent environmental pollution and to minimize the effects of these products on the receiving body in Turkey by working on battery wastes, and having its name frequently mentioned with the power it provides to the dynamics of the industry; And UĞUR METAL, starting its activities in the field of recycling of non-hazardous waste, electrical and electronic waste since 1999 with the slogan of ‘Recycling for Human and Nature’, following the developing technology in the recycling sector and continuing its investments without slowing down; As Silver Sponsors: IFAT EURASIA, bringing high quality service to the global trade fair market with its experienced team of professionals; And TAYÇED, established with the aim of increasing the positive perception towards the waste and being a platform that will lead and act as a spokesperson for the sector, as a reference point; As Bronze Sponsor: ITC, carrying out a series of simultaneous activities focused on rehabilitation and recovery such as rehabilitation of uncontrolled waste landfills, design and operation of sanitary landfills, energy production by biomethanization, gasification-combustion, production of Refuse-Derived Fuel (WDF), recycling of packaging and excavation wastes, disposal of hazardous and medical wastes; And ERA ÇEVRE, providing solutions to environmental problems domestically and internationally by carrying out guiding studies with its experience, acting with the principle of taking part in reputable projects, operating in 24 countries in the world and American Continent, and bringing the autoclave sterilization technology to Turkey by cooperating with the company that produces the world’s largest autoclave sterilization system in industrial terms.

 

Delivering the inaugural speech of the conference, Mr. Mustafa Akalp, Chairman of the Executive Board of the 3rd IREMCON, said: “Dear participants of the 3rd IREMCON International Environment Conference, I would like to express our gratitude to the countries participating in our conference at the Ministerial level, especially to Mr. Fatmir Matoshi, the Minister from the Republic of Kosovo and the directors of the Ministry, Mr. Sadulla Duraki, the Minister from the Republic of Macedonia and the directors of the Ministry, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Birpınar, Deputy Minister of Environment and Urbanization of the Republic of Turkey as well as ministerial executives, NGO directors, local administration, authorized institutions and private sector directors and staff from all stakeholder countries, all stakeholders who contributed to the preparation of this conference and Prof. Dr Mehmet Emin Birpınar, Deputy Minister of Environment and Urbanization of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Muhammet Ecel'e, General Director of Environmental Management and his team who all contributed to the organizations and supported IREMCON and TURKTAY events wholeheartedly, overcoming all problems and difficulties from the first day of their office. I would also like to thank Group E and its Director Mr. Türkay Özgür, who have attained huge success since 2007 in various organizations such as IREMCON, TURKTAY, GREEN CAMERA Inter-University Short Film Competition and Recycling Industry publication, the outstanding magazine of the sector, overcoming all difficulties and pressures and wish them continued success.

 

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to BENLİ GERİ DÖNÜŞÜM GURUBU, ERA, ITC, İZAYDAŞ, LASDER, TAYÇED, TÜMAKÜDER, UĞUR METAL and IFAT EURASIA and in particular to the Main Sponsor AKADEMİ ÇEVRE for providing the necessary funds and financial resources for the conference and promoting Turkey in the international arena. TÜMAKÜDER, the Authorized Institution for the Management of Waste Accumulators, where I have been serving as the Chairman of the Board, has taken part as a stakeholder in almost all the events held in our country since its foundation in 2005 and has held or joined as a stakeholder in numerous training meetings, panel conferences and congresses.

 

We are now honored to serve as the Chairman of the Executive Board of this conference, which is the first of its kind in Turkey, and thank all the stakeholders who deemed us worthy of this position. Distinguished participants, Environment, Global Environmental Issues, and the fight against climate change are at the hot topics of your agenda. We, i.e., the countries that are the stakeholders of this conference, have a unique place in this global structure. We are located in a common geography and thus, share similar environmental problems. What I would like to stress is that ‘WE ARE NOT the source of the problems we are currently facing. These problems are associated with the countries that have been controlling the Global capital for over 200 years. These same powers are now trying to put the burden of fighting against these problems on US and make us pay the bill for their development. They impose their own methods, know-how and industries on US and they develop methods that hinder their industrialization efforts.

 

In a manner of speaking, they are making pretty penny out of us. For US, the fight against global environmental problems and climate change has two legs: a) to unite against these policies and to develop our own common policies and b) to develop and share the information-technology and industry that we will use to solve these problems. Each of us, especially government institutions, has crucial duties on this path. I wish success to all of us during this journey.” Delivering the opening speech at the conference, Mr. Birpınar said that the growing environmental issues and technologies developed as a result are crossing the borders of Turkey and such technologies should be transferred and disseminated to the world. Giving local and global examples of a few environmental events, Mr. Birpınar also noted: “Actually, the first major environmental issue involves children who got sick in 1972, in New Jersey (US). When children play in the garden of a newly built housing complex, they start to get sick and have difficulty in breathing and they start to seek urgent medical attention.

 

Doctors notice that all patients come to the hospital from the same housing complex and thus, an investigation is launched. When the authorities make excavation in the garden of the site, they unearth hazardous wastes, which are then removed from the site. Therefore, the first regulation on hazardous waste is issued in the United States in 1972. The industrialist who is responsible for those hazardous wastes does not receive any punishment since any regulation has not been issued until such time.