European bank funds solid waste facility in Çanakkale

LONDON

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a 57.5 million Turkish Lira loan (9 million euros) for waste management.

The 200,000-strong population of Çanakkale will benefit from an the for the development of a modern, efficient and sustainable waste management under a private-public partnership scheme in this historical province, the development bank said in a statement.

Çanakkale province, which stands on the Dardanelles Strait connecting the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean, is the location of ancient Troy.

The EBRD loan will be extended to a local venture between the French utility SUEZ Group and the Turkish waste management firm ALTAŞ.

The two partners have won the international tender to provide waste collection, transportation, recycling and disposal services under 29-year concession in five towns: Çanakkale, Lapseki, Kepez, Çardak and Umurbey.

The consortium is contributing 38.3 million liras of its own funds to the project.

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 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 minimise the negative effects of waste on the environment and people.
Nandita Parshad, EBRD Managing Director for Sustainable Infrastructure, said during a visit to

Turkey: “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.”

With 90 000 people on the five continents, SUEZ is a world leader providing water and waste management solutions. The Group recovers 17 million tons of waste a year, produces 3.9 million tons of secondary raw materials and 7 TWh of local renewable energy. It also secures water resources and wastewater treatment. SUEZ generated total revenues of 17.3 billion euros in 2018.

ALTAŞ provides solid waste management services in the Turkish cities of Izmir, Istanbul, Ankara and Mersin and is also active in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Turkey and has invested over 11 billion euros in 283 projects in the country since 2009.

The overwhelming majority of EBRD investments in Turkey are in the private sector. One half of the bank’s portfolio in Turkey constitutes investments that promote sustainable energy and resource use.