ÇEVKO FOUNDATION BOTH ACHIEVED ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS AND HELPED TURKEY GAIN ALMOST TRY 1.9 BILLION THROUGH ITS ACTIVITIES IN RECYCLING IN ITS 25TH YEAR!
Engaged in activities to develop a sustainable recovery system in Turkey under the leadership of the industry for environmental protection, social development and economic contribution for the last 25 years, the ÇEVKO foundation achieved significant environmental and economic benefits for our country in 2015 as well.
Reaching a population of nearly 24 million this year through a cooperation with 154 municipalities and 62 licensed companies, the ÇEVKO Foundation increased the amount of packaging waste collected thanks to the support it provided in bins, containers, recycling boxes for interior use, and separation bags to improve separate collection at the source. While environmental resources were conserved as a result of the recovery of these wastes, the country’s economy, too, gained TRY 1,855,000,000 thanks to the savings achieved in energy and resource consumption.
ÇEVKO Foundation will continue working in support of a green world!
Secretary General of the ÇEVKO Foundation Mr. Mete İmer said it was technically and economically possible to recover all packaging waste made of glass, metal, plastic, paper-cardboard, composites and wood many times, and summarized the extent of the environmental and economic benefits they delivered in 2015 by way of their recovery activities as follows:
“As a result of the recovery activities we carried out in 2015, we contributed TRY 1,855,000,000 to our country, factoring in both the saved fossil fuel, water and energy, and the economic value of recycled materials as well as a reduction in landfill costs. It is quite possible to further increase this figure by ensuring the society acquires the habit of separating at the source, and by establishing a culture of recycling – provided that we see and safeguard these benefits. For instance, recycled plastic packaging waste can be used to manufacture fiber-containing textiles, wastewater pipes, furniture byproducts, vinyl flooring and other materials, which results in lower costs in terms of oil and energy used compared to their production using original raw materials. Recovering all packaging waste not only prevents environmental pollution, but also contributes significantly to the saving of original raw material, energy and water, and helps to lower greenhouse gas emissions. At the ÇEVKO Foundation, which has been safeguarding these benefits for 25 years, we will maintain our activities in 2016 with the aim of contributing to our country environmentally and economically through recycling, and of supporting a green world.”
The environmental benefits of ÇEVKO’s recovery activities in 2015:
4 million trees were saved. This is equivalent to almost 20,000 acres of forestland.
125,000,000 liters of gas was saved. This equals to gas savings of about 2.8 million fuel tanks.
6,200,704 m3 of water was saved. This is equal to the annual water consumption of nearly 100,000 people, or the 36-day water requirement of the Turkish province of Aydin.
3,417,792 m3 of landfill space was spared. This is equal to a saving in landfill space of 1367 Olympic-size swimming pools.
A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 274,016 tons of CO2 was achieved. This offsets the emissions generated by an airplane circumnavigating the globe 13,700 times.
2,465,793 MWh of energy was saved. This is the amount of energy used by 893,400 households in a year, as well as 10% of the annual residential energy consumption in Turkey…
The total environmental and economic savings achieved thanks to the activities of the ÇEVKO Foundation in 2015 is given in the following table.
SUMMARY OF 2015 YEAR-END SAVINGS IN NATURAL RESOURCES, ENERGY AND LANDFILL SPACE
| 4,016,433 | trees | 20,000 acres of forestland |
| 125,638,144 | liters savings in gas | Equal to gas savings of 2.8 million fuel tanks |
| 6,200,704 | m3 water |
Annual water consumption of nearly 100,000 people Almost 36-day water requirement of the Turkish province of Aydin |
| 3,417,792 | m3 landfill space | Landfill space savings equal to 1,367 Olympic-size swimming pools |
| 2,465,793 | thousand kWh of energy savings* |
Energy use of 893,000 households in a year 10% of annual residential energy consumption in Turkey |
| 274,016 | tons of CO2-equivalent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions | Equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions generated by an airplane circumnavigating the globe 13,700 times |
TOTAL SAVINGS = TRY 1,855,000,000