title: Municipal solid waste management strategies in Turkey.
abstract: Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a major environmental problem in Turkey, as in many developing countries. Problems associated with municipal solid waste are difficult to address, but efforts towards more efficient collection and transportation and environmentally acceptable waste disposal continue in Turkey. Although strict regulations on the management of solid waste are in place, primitive disposal methods such as open dumping and discharge into surface water have been used in various parts of Turkey. This study presents a brief history of the legislative trends in Turkey for MSW management. The study also presents the MSW responsibility and management structure together with the present situation of generation, composition, recycling, and treatment. The results show that approximately 25 million ton of MSW are generated annually in Turkey. About 77% of the population receives MSW services. In spite of efforts to change open dumping areas into sanitary landfills and to build modern recycling and composting facilities, Turkey still has over 2000 open dumps.
authors.affiliation: Ondokuz Mayis University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Environmental Engineering, 55139 Samsun, Kurupelit, Turkey. gturan@omu.edu.tr
authors.forename: N Gamze
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Turan
authors.forename: Semra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Coruh
authors.forename: Andaç
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akdemir
authors.forename: Osman Nuri
authors.initials: ON
authors.lastname: Ergun
mesh_terms: D002947:Cities; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D014421:Turkey