Hazardous Waste Inventory in Gebze Organized Industrial Zone, Kocaeli, Turkey

Abstract

Hazardous waste management (HWM) is one of the most important environmental problems. The lack of sufficient information on hazardous waste (HW) results in failure of the control and monitoring mechanisms. The HW is needed to be identified for an appropriate recovery and disposal strategy. Based on previous studies, the most important problem for effective HWM in Turkey is the lack of a reliable countrywide HW inventory. This insufficient information results in fewer recovery and recycling possibilities and also disposal facilities resulting in illegal and random release of HWs to the environment. A reliable and updated inventory study for waste type, source, and quantity information is required to determine and overcome this problem. The inventory information, such as generation of HW place, type, and collection will be the guide for the prevention, recovery, reuse, and also treatment of these wastes. The aim of this article is to describe a HW inventory study conducted in an organized industrial zone for a year. The inventory lists for HW were prepared on the basis of generation, types, and quantities of HW. (C) 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ