Over 10,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity has been produced from waste in central Türkiye's Domestic Solid Waste Regular Storage Facility – which was established by the Bitlis Solid Waste Association (BI-KA) with the help of European Union funds.

The Domestic Solid Waste Landfill Facility in Bitlis was designed to create added value for the country, protect the environment and convert solid waste into energy. The facility contributes to energy production by storing the garbage of the central Anatolia region, its districts and surrounding cities.

Domestic solid and packaging waste such as aluminum cans, plastic, paper and cardboard brought to the facility are separated according to their size and type and are then prepared for recycling by being formed into bales. Medical waste brought from hospitals is sterilized in steam machines and purified from germs, helping to protect the environment.

Making an environmentally friendly investment of approximately 12 million euros ($12.75 million), the facility contributes to both employment and energy production for protecting nature and recycling.

Explaining the project, Bitlis Solid Waste Union Operations Manager Musa Tütün said: "Our goal is to increase energy production from garbage while protecting the environment. Our facility was established within the framework of the EU pre-accession financial aid program. Currently, there are domestic solid waste, medical waste sterilization, landfill gas power generation plants, water treatment, recycling packaging waste and collection separation services in our landfill facility."

"Our project budget is approximately 12 million euros of which 9 million euros have been granted by the EU and the remaining 3 million euros were acquired through a long-term loan by the member municipalities from Iller Bank. The facility was established by the municipalities of Bitlis, Tatvan, Güroymak, Gölbaşı and Günkırı, which were its first founding members. Later, other districts in the province of Bitlis benefited from this service by becoming a member of our union," he explained further.

Noting that 1.2 megawatts of electricity are produced per hour from the stored waste, Tütün said: "We commissioned this facility, which we designed in 2006, in 2011. Since 2011, approximately 450,000 tons of garbage have been stored in our facility, which we have utilized in its operation. We also produce 1.2 megawatts of electricity per hour from the garbage we store. We provide services to municipalities in Bitlis provinces and districts."

In addition, we are currently serving the Muş Municipality, which has not established a landfill facility yet. We will store the waste in our facility until we establish a storage facility. We treat the leachate from the waste we store so that it does not harm the environment and nature, and we discharge it to nature in this way."

He added: "There is a water treatment plant in our facility called a membrane bioreactor. Here, there is a facility as well that has a daily capacity of 60 cubic meters. In this facility, we purify the highly polluted wastewater and make it drinkable for further use. In this facility, we store 65,000 tons of domestic waste annually. In addition, a Landfill Gas Power Generation Plant is storing methane gas, which is formed from the waste we store, that is transferred to this facility and converted into electricity. At this facility, we produce 1.2 megawatts of electricity per hour."

"In the medical waste sterilization facility, which is another facility of ours, the medical waste produced by hospitals and health institutions is transported and disposed of. The disposal method is carried out in devices called steam sterilization. Microorganisms in the waste are purified, rendered harmless and converted into domestic waste through high temperature and super-heated steam," he explained.

"Paper, cardboard, plastic and metal waste are collected and sent to recycling facilities in different areas. Discarded packaging is also collected from businesses, public institutions and markets and is sent for recycling later after being pressed into bales here. Annually, 250 tons of waste is collected and contributed to the economy," Tütün noted.

He said the facilities aim to improve the lives of citizens in many areas. "We are planning to build a compost facility next to the mechanical sorting facility and a facility where garbage is accumulated and separated and then later bales are pressed. The remaining organic part after the household waste is separated is subject to organic waste decomposition in the compost plant. We are establishing a facility where we will turn this waste into fertilizer together with compost. We will use the fertilizers we produce in this facility in agriculture," Tütün concluded.