A waste management facility to benefit 200,000 people in Canakkale by a local venture between the French utility SUEZ Group and the Turkish waste management firm ALTAS has attracted a fund of 57.5 million Turkish lira (€9 million) from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a statement from the bank said Friday.
Canakkale, the historical province, stands on the Dardanelles Strait connecting the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean, in northwest of Turkey. The two partners SUEZ Group and ALTAŞ have won the international tender to provide waste collection, transportation, recycling and disposal services under 29-year concession in five towns including Canakkale, Lapseki, Kepez, Çardak and Umurbey, the statement said.
The consortium is contributing 38.3 million Turkish lira of its own funds to the project, according to the statement. The EBRD loan will finance the construction of a mechanical biological treatment plant which combines a sorting facility with biological treatment such as composting and producing energy from waste.
The funds will also be used to refurbish a landfill and upgrade a plant that treats leachate, a water-polluting liquid, the bank said. "The project will help reduce the amount of solid waste sent to landfill, extend the landfill lifetime by 20 years and increase waste recycling, in line with EU standards. The new approach is based on circular economy and will minimize the negative effects of waste on the environment and people," said in the statement.
The EBRD has invested over €11 billion in 283 projects in Turkey since 2009. The overwhelming majority of EBRD investments in Turkey are in the private sector and one half of the bank’s portfolio in Turkey constitutes investments that promote sustainable energy and resource use. "At the EBRD, we are strong supporters of public-private partnerships as an effective tool to deliver better services. Together with our partners from SUEZ we aim to demonstrate how effective waste management by private companies can benefit people and the environment," Nandita Parshad, EBRD Managing Director for Sustainable Infrastructure, quoted as saying in the statement.
SUEZ Group provides water and waste management solutions around the world. The Group recovers 17 million tons of waste a year, produces 3.9 million tons of secondary raw materials and 7 terawatt hours of local renewable energy. It also secures water resources and wastewater treatment. SUEZ generated total revenues of €17.3 billion in 2018. ALTAŞ provides solid waste management services in the Turkish cities of Izmir, Istanbul, Ankara and Mersin. The company has operations in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
(Anadolu Agency)
