Municipal Waste Management in Turkey

Due to geographical position at the crossroads between Middle East and Asia and Europe, Turkey has a significant role for neighbor developing countries in terms of economical and social growth. Since solid waste management system mainly depends on these factors, Turkey has been always comprehensive model for many developing countries with its management system. This chapter, consisting of eight sub-sections, evaluates the management of municipal solid waste in Turkey with current data from the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization and provides an overview of the development of waste management practices in Turkey. In addition to the future perspectives and planning, the current status, waste amount, waste characteristics, prevention studies, recycling and re-use applications, collection, treatment and disposal applications of municipal wastes, packaging wastes, and medical wastes are reported in this chapter.