EKOMAT Project contributed  to the economy, collecting 1.6 million wastes were in 1 year

“EKOMAT” is a project implemented for the first time in Turkey with the cooperation of the BIRCAM Foundation, GCA and Park Cam. EKOMAT’s 1-year study results have been announced. In the project, which reached nearly 11 thousand members in 1 year and supported the collection of 1.6 million wastes; significant gains have been achieved for the environment and the country. A contribution of 1.3 million TRY was made to the economy.

The 1-year results of the “EKOMAT” Project, created in cooperation with the BIRCAM Foundation, GCA and Park Cam, have been announced. In the EKOMAT Project, with  number of members reaching close to 11 thousand, 1.6 million beverages were separated at the source of packaging in 1 year and collected through Ekomats. While Ekomats were unloaded, mostly electric collection vehicles were preferred; thus, less polluting gases were given to the receiving environment. With the recycled products, space was saved by not sending waste as much as 45 garbage trucks to the municipality’s landfill facility.

“Recycling is of great importance both environmentally and economically”

Stating that they are satisfied with the results of the EKOMAT Project, of which they are a business partner, so far, GCA General Manager Dr. Abdullah Gayret said, “As GCA, we act with the mission of preventing environmental pollution by following technological developments, recycling wastes as much as possible, and eliminating non-recyclable wastes without harming the environment. Because recycling is of great importance not only in terms of sustainability, but also in terms of economy. For this reason, we have implemented this project, which protects the environment in all aspects, aims to raise awareness of the public about sustainability and to implement recycling as a part of their daily life. Within the scope of our project to ensure 100% recycling of glass, plastic and metal beverage packages with deposit return machines, we have positioned 34 EKOMAT deposit return devices at 15 different points in Yalova. The project, where citizens recycle glass, metal and plastics, and earn points worth money through the mobile application; it both contributes to the economy and helps to reduce the carbon footprint. We have created an exemplary model with our EKOMAT project, which aims to raise awareness among consumers in order to recycle packaging materials. Our aim in this project, which is the “digital transformation of recycling” with the ability to monitor data instantly thanks to its local software, said, “Our aim is to bring the recycling culture of packaging to our country.”

“With the EKOMAT Project, we increase the amount of cullet we use in factories”

Park Cam Deputy General Manager Ergin Öz made the following assessments: “Crushed glass is the main source of glass packaging factories. The more we feed the glass furnaces, the less natural resource use, the longer the furnace life, the lower the energy cost and the lower the carbon footprint, the more responsibilities towards the environment are fulfilled. While glass packaging manufacturers in Europe use cullet at a rate of 60%-70%, the rate of use of cullet in our country does not reach even 10%. With the Ekomat Project, cullet of the quality used by European manufacturers comes to our factories and new bottles are produced. It is a very important development for the future.”

“We Contributed 1.3 Million TRY to the national economy”

Bircam Foundation President Ömer Kızıl, who conveyed the achievements of the project in terms of sustainability, said, “With the distribution of market and internet shopping checks to the consumers who participated in the winning transformation, approximately 256,000 TL of support was provided to their family budgets. In the last 1 year period, we have achieved significant gains on behalf of our environment and our country. Along with the recycling operations; Reduction in 128 tons of natural resource consumption, oil saving equivalent to 1 day fuel consumption of 16,675 vehicles, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to cleaning 180 trees in 1 year, saving in electrical energy equivalent to 1 month’s energy consumption of 720 residences, reducing the amount of waste as much as 45 garbage trucks can carry, approximately 1.3 million TL was contributed to the economy. The shards collected within the scope of the project were converted into new glass beverage bottles, plastic waste, textile products, and metal waste into personal care products such as toothpaste tubes, creating a circular economy model. We want to further increase the social impact of our project by continuing our social responsibility activities in the future.”