Solid waste will become an important part of Turkey's renewable share and聽electricity generation,聽Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz said Friday in Balikesir, Turkey.聽
Speaking at the opening ceremony of聽Altaca group's integrated biogas and organic waste聽facility, which聽is constructed with聽100 percent Turkish technology,聽Yildiz praised聽the project saying that it is environmental-friendly and contributing to the energy sector.聽
According to research of Turkish Statistical Institute,聽each household has domestic waste between 1.5 to 2 kilograms,聽Yildiz informed, adding that聽Gonen in Balikesir province,聽where the facility is constructed, puts聽producing energy from waste in good use.
"Facilities like this are in dire need for Turkey. They have so many positive effects on Turkey's energy mix. I attach great importance to such projects, both for the engineering know-how of their technological aspects, and for聽our energy ministry as well," he explained.聽
One of the alternative聽ways of diversifying energy resources is to recycle聽all kinds of waste.聽Types of municipal solid, livestock and agriculture waste聽are聽classified according to their similarities, and used to produce energy.聽
Yildiz emphasized that each biogas and organic waste facility that is introduced to the country's energy mix lowers the amount of money Turkey pays to import natural gas, noting electricity produced from wind power plants聽led Turkey to import $850 million worth of gas less in 2014.聽
Turkey聽relies heavily on foreign energy resources, mostly聽natural gas and oil, which generates almost half of Turkey's electricity production while their imports total聽around聽$60 billion a year on average. Energy expenditure is also one of the biggest contributors to Turkey鈥檚 current account deficit.
Stating that Turkey is one of the least recycling countries in the world, Yildiz emphasized that recycling聽is a 'cultural behavior'聽that needs to be adopted widely by the population.聽
"We burn newspapers in our stoves for heati but they are more expensive than wood. Paper is recycled around 96 percent in Japan, while this rate聽is only at 40 percent in Turkey. We have to popularize a recycling culture. We must develop and improve this behavior聽further," he explained.聽
By Gulsen Cagatay, Ovunc Kutlu
Anadolu Agency
gulsen.cagatay@aa.com.tr
ovunc.kutlu@aa.com.tr