Page 43 from: August 2011
43August 2011
a friendly way in order to promote recycling
through our society and (to) follow legislation.’
Bright future
Güray Kir is Turkish representative of recycling
machinery provider Metso Lindemann and also
envisions a bright future for domestic waste
management and recycling. ‘All eyes are direct-
ed towards what happens in Europe, but the
government is trying to do even better than
them,’ he notes.
Major funds have become available to stimulate
proper waste management and recycling,
prompting Metso to put a strong emphasis on
its M&J waste shredder line, in addition to its
traditional scrap metal processing equipment.
The company attracted major interest this year
with a ‘Road tour’ whereby an M&J shredder
was trucked to waste management firms all over
Turkey. ‘We have already been in this market
for many years – longer than any other Euro-
pean equipment manufacturer,’ says Mr Kir.
While most equipment suppliers are focused
on long-term strategies for this region, orders
are already coming in for some manufacturers.
Joep Barenbrug, International Sales Manager
of Nihot Recycling Technology, confirmed that
his company has just commissioned its first
installation in Turkey; the buyer is based in
Ankara and produces refuse-derived fuel for
the cement industry. The line features a Nihot
Single Drum Separator to remove glass, stones,
metals and ceramics before the material enters
the secondary shredder.
Increased availability of investment capital
means high-tech sorting solutions are now
within easier reach. According to Arkin Korur,
Turkish representative for sensor sorting spe-
cialist TiTech, three of the company’s systems
have been installed in the past year, mainly for
plastics. All are reference plants which are avail-
able to be viewed by visitors from Turkey and
the surrounding region.
Lights on green
Other global companies are hiring Turkish-
speaking sales staff or are looking to employ
local agents. For example, turnkey waste sorting
equipment provider GEMS has appointed
Dutch Turks Saban Acar and Ekrem Bülent as
key managers for the region. ‘We believe all
lights are on green for Turkey’s waste manage-
ment industry,’ says Hans Camstra – fellow
Sales Manager from GEMS.
On a less positive note, another exhibitor con-
tended that it remains difficult to convince
Turks that proper waste management requires
investment in collection and technology before
any payback can be expected. ‘People here are
not used to paying for proper waste disposal,’
Recycling International was told.
German Turk Murat Ilgar – who many regard as
the father of the Turkish e-waste recycling indus-
try – is perhaps best placed to explain how quick-
ly Turkey’s recycling industry has developed. The
President of Exitcom, Turkey’s leading e-waste
processor, observes: ‘When we started here about
eight years ago, there was nothing – no legisla-
tion, no collection, no technology, no gatherings
like this.’ His firm is rooted in Germany but has
contracts with major Turkish municipalities like
Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara, as well as with
prominent electronics distributors such as
Media Markt and ElectroWorld.
Expansion at Exitcom
Exitcom is also responsible for 80% of the bat-
teries collected in Turkey, shipping them to
Umicore in Belgium; and last year Mr Ilgar
added lamp and toner recycling plants to his
expanding business. He believes Turkey’s recy-
cling industry will grow in importance, not
only because of the country’s almost 80 million
consumers, but also because companies from
other parts of Europe have installed production
capacity in Turkey.
Over recent years, several companies – including
Anel Doga, Akademi Cevre and Onur Metal –
have established e-scrap recycling plants in Tur-
key. But according to Mr Ilgar, the market is far
bigger than the capacity covered by domestic
firms, prompting him to invite European com-
panies to consider partnerships in Turkey’s recy-
cling development. ‘Essentially, we can do eve-
rything – also beyond electronics recycling,’ he
states. ‘We are an established name in Turkey.’
Güray Kir:
’We have already
been in this market
for many years –
longer than any other
European equipment
manufacturer’
TAP General Secretary Savas Arna (left) joined the Exitcom team,
including its CEO Murat Ilgar (middle).
Ekrem Bulent, Hans Camstra and Saban Acar, of Netherlands-based
GEMS waste sorting technology.
Aymas Makina’s Aykut Karahan speaks to a potential customer.
Eriez’ British and Turkish sales staff. From left: Danielle Lloyd, Tugrul
Yildiz, Gareth Bray and Yunus Emre Karabulut.
Part of the Metso Turkey Team: Tanju Yirmibesoglu, Ozge
and Güray Kir.
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